APPEARED at the Durban Magistrate’s Court, a 42-year-old man, who was arrested on Friday, in Cornubia, Verulam, for allegedly demanding protection money.
According to KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza, three people who have been killed are said to have been working in a security company, from whom the man demanded security money.
Narrating the story, Magwaza said that it is suspected that in January this year, the suspect made a call to the owner of the security company and demanded a sum of money for protection.
It is said that he then threatened that his company’s security guards would fight in the rain if he did not pay the money.
“The owner of the company initially did not enter to do what the suspect wanted, he went to report the matter at the Durban Central police station,” said Magwaza.
He went on to say that in the same month, three security guards employed by the company were killed.
He said that the phone calls that threatened the owner of the company, also continued.
“In the end, he bent the horn, he put the money that was demanded from him in the bank,” he said.
He stated that the Crime Intelligence team gathered information on the whereabouts of the suspect, and forwarded it to the Provincial Task Team as well as the Durban Metropolitan Police Tactical Team, to work on it.
“The team raided Cornubia (on Friday), and they were crying for him. He was charged with demanding protection money,” said Magwaza.
He also revealed that the investigation into the three guards who were killed is ongoing.