Durban - Hellbent on seeking revenge for betraying him by sleeping with his wife, a Pietermaritzburg businessman allegedly spent thousands to have “the other man”, a doctor, arrested on concocted charges.
He also allegedly plotted to have him seriously injured. Once, Rajivee Soni said he would pay R2 000 for every rib broken in Doctor Bhavish Sewram’s body, R1 000 for every tooth and R5 000 for his legs.
This was the evidence given in Durban’s high court on Wednesday by a self-confessed corrupt former policeman, Sugen Naidoo, who is also a recovering drug addict.
Soni pleaded not guilty to six charges of defeating or obstructing the course of justice, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and to killing Sewram in May 2013.
The incidents allegedly involved concocting charges of sexual assault against the doctor on two occasions, laying a false charge and hiring two people to shoot at him with a high-powered paintball gun.
In his defence, Soni said that before May 2012, he harboured suspicions that his wife was having an affair with the doctor. Four months later, the couple reconciled. They met the doctor and his wife, in the presence of a priest, and resolved their differences.
Soni alleged that he had been a victim of extortion and blackmail by police from the Mountain Rise station.
“Should the need arise, evidence would be led that persons, other than myself, harboured motives to have the deceased killed,” said Soni.
Naidoo, who left work last year, was told by the judge that if he was found to have been an honest witness, he would not be prosecuted.
He told the court a long tale of how he and Soni had plotted against the doctor from February 2012 to the same month the following year. Soni paid well and Naidoo needed the money.
He told how Soni came up with one “brilliant” idea after another to embarrass, hurt and slander the doctor.
It began when Soni visited Naidoo to arrange for Soni’s father-in-law to be taken to the police station as punishment for interfering in Soni’s marriage. Naidoo got a police friend to carry out the task, but the friend did not do so because the father-in-law was “old and had a heart condition”. Soni paid Naidoo R1 000.
A few days later, Soni told Naidoo that Soni’s wife was having an affair with the doctor, whose life he wanted to make hell. “We brainstormed ideas,” said Naidoo.
Soni said they should plant cocaine in the doctor’s surgery. Naidoo got another policeman, whom he referred to as Warrant Officer Gounder, to assist.
Soni paid R2 000 for the drugs. Naidoo bought rock cocaine but smoked it himself. Asked about the plan, Naidoo lied to Soni that “senior policemen” thwarted it. Days later, Soni paid him R20 000, even though the job was not done.
The next “brilliant plan” Soni had was to set up the doctor on a sexual assault charge. Naidoo and Gounder did so and he was paid R20 000. However, charges were withdrawn.
“The accused got more desperate. He wanted to hurt the deceased,” Naidoo said.
However, Soni later decided to frame the doctor for possessing an illegal firearm and paid Naidoo R6 000 to get a gun.
Naidoo lied that when he went to the surgery, the doctor got suspicious and contacted senior policemen who came and questioned him. He was paid R10 000 for his efforts.
Soni then decided to have the doctor stabbed. Naidoo paid people R4 500 after they said they had done so. But they lied.
Soni then lied that the doctor had assaulted him, and Naidoo “investigated” the case. The doctor was arrested.
Naidoo could not remember what happened to the case. Then Naidoo approached a man who said the doctor had made sexual advances towards his stepdaughter. “This excited the accused,” said Naidoo.
Soni told the man to get the woman to lay charges.
The case continues.
The Mercury