Durban - A warrant of arrest has been issued for Rajiv Narandas who has seemingly gone to ground after his appeal to overturn a murder conviction was turned down last week.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said that a warrant of arrest was issued for the Durban man late on Friday.
By late Monday, police were unable to locate the convicted killer, sparking concern that he may have fled.
“The warrant was given to police to effect an arrest,” NPA spokeswoman, Phindi Louw, said.
Asked whether it was up to police in Gauteng - the jurisdiction where he was convicted - or KwaZulu-Natal police (the province where he lives), Louw said she did not not know.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesman, Major Thulani Zwane, referred all queries to his counterparts in Gauteng.
Gauteng police spokesman, Colonel Lungelo Dlamini, who was not aware that a warrant of arrest had been issued on Friday, requested that the Daily News e-mail him a list of questions.
Correctional Services deputy regional commissioner, Lucky Mthethwa, said that Narandas had not arrived at Westville Prison.
He said it was the police’s responsibility in conjunction with the NPA to deliver Narandas.
“The police normally brings the prisoner to us with what is known as a J7 warrant. Sometimes it is the lawyer who brings them. Our responsibility is incarcerate,” he said.
Yesterday, after initially agreeing to answer questions from the Daily News, Narandas's mother, Rosanne, chose not to answer questions.
Her WhatsApp profile picture continued to carry a photograph of a Sunday Tribune poster which read, “Where is Rajiv?”, while her status on the messenger service read: “Don’t cry for me Argentina. The truth is I never left you (smiley face).”
The Daily News asked Rosanne if her WhatsApp status was linked to Narandas fleeing the country.
Told
“No matter what I say (it) gets misconstrued, so best I don’t comment,” she told the Daily News via WhatsApp.
When Narandas appeared in court earlier this year on intimidation charges, the State went on record saying it was opposing bail in the light of information it had received that he planned to skip the country.
Narandas was sentenced in 2014 to 18 years in prison by the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court in Gauteng for stabbing 32-year-old Veenand Singh to death outside a Sandton nightclub in 2008.
Narandas first appealed against his conviction and sentence in the Johannesburg High Court, sitting as the appeal court. His conviction was confirmed, but his sentence was reduced from 18 years to 15.
He applied to the Constitutional Court for leave to appeal against the Supreme Court of Appeal’s decision and was granted bail of R100 000.
Last week, his application was dismissed, with the court saying it bore “no prospect of success” and he was ordered to report to Westville Prison to start serving his 15-year term.
He was admitted to Life Westville Hospital on Wednesday for treatment of hernias and ulcers, according to his mother.
Daily News