Bloemfontein - Free State police on Thursday said they were hunting down a possible serial rapist who has been preying on boys between the ages of 10 and 14-years-old.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Mamello Mokhuoane said the latest incident happened on July 27, at around 2.30pm.
“The suspect uses the same modus operandi of luring the boys, who are mostly scholars in Thabong but reside in Bronville, as they use the route to and from school. It is alleged that he asks them to help him look for his money and when they are deep in the veld he instructs them to undress and rapes them,” Mokhuoane said.
She said several cases of boys being raped in an open field near Dismartising and HaMazibuko, Thabong, had been reported in recent months. Mokhuoane said investigations continued to determine if it was rapists or a serial rapist using the same modus operandi to lure schoolboys into the veld. The exact number of cases was not immediately available.
Police are calling on the community to come forward with any information that may help them track down the serial rapist.
They have also appealed to parents to warn their children about the rapist, to walk in groups, and to label their school bags on the inside.
*Anyone with information can contact the Thabong Cluster Family Violence and Child Protection Unit (FCS) on (057) 910 2395.
African News Agency