Cape Town - The horrific discovery of a man’s body, missing his head and an arm, has been made in a suitcase in Athlone.
When a man was seen dragging the large travel case to the Hazendal train station, no one could have imagined that there was a corpse inside.
The suspect allegedly had placed the black suitcase in the underpass (subway) and tried to set it alight.
Personnel at the station saw the suspect setting the bag alight, which started smoking, and they rushed over to put out the fire. The suspect ran away.
That is when they discovered that the suitcase contained a dismembered body.
A worker in Hazendal says: “The man’s hands were cut off and his head was not in the bag. There was someone dragging a suitcase just before the fire started. But when we got close to the fire, we didn’t see anyone.”
Athlone Community Policing Forum Chairperson Aziza Kannemeyer says this is the first time they have recorded such a gruesome crime in the area.
“This seems so unreal, perhaps the suspect came into the area because he knows it is quiet,” she says.
“This is new to the area and we are left with questions and we are still shocked.
“Where was the man killed? When was he killed? Why was he dumped here? Why were the body parts cut off?
“We are hopeful that soon the police will find leads and apprehend the suspect.”
She explains the body was found just before 6am on Sunday.
“No one saw where the man came from and where he ran off to. It could be that the person just went to Hazendal station because people were not using the trains on the day.”
Police spokesman Colonel André Traut said no arrests have been made: “On Sunday morning at around 6am, a body of an unknown male was found in a suitcase at Hazendal railway station in Athlone.
“A suspect was seen carrying the suitcase and setting it alight. The body was decapitated and the head and arm are still being sought.
The murder is being probed.