Cape Town - A serial killer could be behind the murder of five women found naked and buried face down in shallow graves near Century City train station in Kensington, Cape Town, police say.
A reliable police source told the Cape Times on Tuesday that since March they had discovered a body in the area every two months.
The most recent was a badly decomposed body found on Saturday, he said.
“At this stage it’s all murder cases, but the modus operandi is the same. We suspect a serial killer.”
The police officer – who didn’t want to be named due to the “high profile” nature of the investigation – said the decomposed bodies were all women, all naked, buried face down in shallow graves with their hands tied behind their backs.
“We do suspect rape, but the bodies are so decomposed we could not identify any of them. We couldn’t even take their fingerprints. One body has been found every second month,” he said.
The women were estimated to be between 20 and 32 years old.
“People have been coming across the bodies while doing things like digging for scrap in the bush near the train station throughout the year. We have sent queries to other police stations about missing women, but it’s difficult because we can’t identify the faces,” he said.
Police spokesman Andre Traut said: “Police confirm the death of an unknown female is under investigation after her body was found in the area between Acacia Park and Century City railway stations on Saturday. A murder case has been registered and the cause of death is yet to be established.
“We are looking into the possibility of a link between this case and similar discoveries made earlier this year in the same area.”
Kensington street committee chairman Mogamat Nordien said the news that police suspected a serial killer had gripped the community in fear.
“It’s very concerning for the community because we already have a growing crime problem due to drug abuse. With the bodies being found, it’s really scary for us to think there could be a serial killer among us,” he said.
“The area used to be so quiet and suddenly there’s a surge of crime this year, and now this. The last time Kensington had a murder case was years ago.”
Anyone with information can contact their nearest police station, call Crime Stop at 0800 10111 or SMS Crimeline at 32211.
Cape Times