Cape Town - Police are investigating the mysterious death of three people whose bodies were found in a car that had been set alight.
Two of the bodies were on the back seat and one in the boot of the VW Polo Vivo, which was found by an on-duty armed response officer, André Rushin, 51, on Old Weltrevreden Road in Mitchells Plain.
The car has an Eastern Cape registration and cops believe the three people were murdered before they were set alight.
Rushin says he didn’t realise there were people in the car until firefighters arrived and doused the flames.
“Two bodies were on the back seat and the one body was in the boot,” he says.
“They were burnt beyond recognition. We couldn’t say what gender or race they were.
“I had arrived after 1 am so it must have happened before 12 am.”
In a video taken of the burning car, one of the bodies can be seen lying on the back seat.
Police spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel André Traut, says they believe the persons were killed before they were burnt.
“This office can confirm the death of three unknown people are being investigated after their bodies were discovered in a burnt out black VW Polo Vivo with an Eastern Cape registration number [on Wednesday] around 2 am on Old Weltevreden Road, Mitchells Plain,” Traut says.
“It is suspected the victims were killed and taken to the spot where the vehicle was parked and set alight.
“The motive for the murders is yet to be determined, and no one has been arrested.”