Africa-Press – South-Africa. A group of people who had gone to clean a gravesite in preparation of an upcoming tombstone unveiling were met with an open grave, an empty coffin, and a missing relative’s body.
The incident happened at a graveyard in the Mopani District of Limpopo.
The body was allegedly dug out of a grave and removed from its coffin, said police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo.
He said the body was that of Modike Philemon Masedi, who died on 15 January and was buried seven days later.
“One of the family members had on Sunday reportedly gone to the cemetery to clean the gravesite in preparation for the upcoming gathering of the unveiling of the tombstone, when she discovered that the grave was dug open and the corpse stolen. She then alerted family members and police were also notified,” said Mojapelo.
Mojapelo added:
He added that the thieves cut through a fence to gain access to the graveyard.
Case of the violation of a grave, and theft, were opened.
“The motive for this incident is unknown at this stage,” said Mojapelo.
Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe said she was shocked by what happened and had ordered that the perpetrator(s) be hunted down and brought to book.
“We call on community members in the area to respect the unfolding investigations conducted by the police and desist from pointing fingers, as this often plays into instigators of vigilantism in which people take the law into their own hands,” she said.
Mojapelo said anyone with information that could assist in the investigation could contact Detective Commander Warrant Officer Nthai Modjadji on 060 996 0062 or 015 386 9940 or Crime Stop on 0860010111. Alternatively, they could visit their nearest police station or use the MySAPS App.
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