Durban - A man that was arrested for abduction and rape escaped from police and fell into an elevator shaft inside a Durban building on Tuesday.
Colonel Thembeka Mbele, a KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, explained that the man was arrested and handcuffed by the Durban harbour police unit. He managed to break free and fled towards Albany Grove, near the Harbour.
"He ran into an empty building in Albany Grove. He ran into an open doorway on the 6th floor not realizing that it was an elevator shaft. He fell six storeys down, into the shaft and landed in the sub-basement. It was approximately 18 metres." she said.
Mbele said the Durban police Search and Rescue unit set up a rope system to gain access to the man. He was declared dead by Citi-Med paramedics.
An inquest, abduction, rape docket is under investigation by police.
The Independent Police Investigations Directorate (IPID) was also at the scene.