Johannesburg - The community of Kagiso on the West Rand has been gripped by fear following the discovery of the bodies of three men killed in a similar manner.
Fears about a serial killer operating in the area is spreading like wildfire.
Police said they were investigating the possibility of a serial killer operating in the area after the bodies of the three men were discovered in the veld with their hands tied to their backs between Tuesday and Friday last week.
Police will release the victims’ names once the families have identified the deceased.
Kagiso police spokesperson Solomon Sibiya said the first body of a man in his 30s was found between extensions 6 and 12 last Tuesday.
The next day, police found the body of another man, aged between 26 and 30, in Azaadville. On Friday, the body of another man with a nosebleed was found by a herdsman in the bushes in Chief Mogale. Sibiya said the man was aged between 24 and 30.
“One of the victims (the body found last Tuesday) did not have a left ear. We don’t know whether it was cut off or whether it was eaten by rats. He also had a gaping hole on the left side of his lower jaw.
“It is unclear what killed the man.
“The last person from his family to speak to him said the victim had told him that he was at the taxi rank and would take a taxi home, but he never arrived.
“His cellphone was switched off when the family tried reaching him later in the day,” Sibiya said, adding that the body had been identified by the family.
He said the body of the man found on Friday was identified by his colleagues.
“The man is dark in complexion and is medium built. He was found wearing black jeans, and a white, brown and purple checked shirt. Nearby there was a grey jacket, four pairs of socks and pinkish sunglasses.
“He had a nosebleed and there was no sign of a struggle where the body was found,” Sibiya said.
He said the police did not want to rule out the possibility that the men may have been killed elsewhere and dumped in the area.
“The scenes where these bodies were found are clean. There is nothing which shows that they may have been killed there.
“We suspect the men were killed elsewhere and later dumped in the area.
“We call on residents to be vigilant at all times and should come forward with any information that may help the police in their investigation,” Sibiya said.
Residents said they did not think the men were from the area.
“I have not heard anything about a man from the area being killed and the body found in the veld,” said a resident who wished to remain anonymous.
Sibiya urged anyone with information to contact Captain Lekhaba on 011 696-9105/9104 or the nearest police station.
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