Summary
·
He was
initially presumed dead in prison but was later believed to be alive, and now
he has been arrested in Tanzania.
Dar es Salaam. A South African fugitive who faked his own death in a prison break that embarrassed authorities has been arrested in Tanzania, police has confirmed.
Thabo Bester, a convicted rapist,
escaped from a privately-run prison in Bloemfontein in May last year -- but
South African police only found out last month.
The police issued a press statement
confirming the arrests of three people: Thabo Bester, his girlfriend Dr.
Nandipha Magudumana, and Zakaria Alberto.
He was initially presumed dead in prison but was later believed to be alive, and now he has been arrested in Tanzania.
Thabo Bester wore Muslim headwear
when he was arrested in Tanzania. PHOTO | COURTESY
On Saturday, April 8, Justice
Minister Ronald Lamola said Bester was arrested by Tanzanian authorities on
Friday night along with a woman he is reportedly romantically involved with and
another person.
"(We) can confirm that escapee
Mr Thabo Bester with his accomplice Dr Nandipha Maguduma(na) along with a
Mozambican national have been arrested in Tanzania late last night,"
Lamola told a press briefing.
Bester was believed to have died
after setting himself on fire behind bars, but in late March police said DNA
tests revealed the charred remains found in his cell belonged to someone
else.
Dubbed the "Facebook
rapist", Bester allegedly lured victims on the social media platform
before raping and robbing them.
He killed at least one victim.
In 2012 he was sentenced to life in
prison for rape, robbery and murder.
Police Minister Bheki Cele said the
three were arrested in Arusha, near the Kenyan border, as they attempted to
leave the country.
Authorities stopped the black SUV
the fugitives were travelling in after it left a hotel.
The suspects had arrived in Arusha from Dar es Salaam, Cele said
The suspects were each in possession of several passports, he added.
Doubts about Bester's death were
first raised by local media outlet GroundUp in November.
Last month, police opened a fresh
murder investigation after an autopsy revealed the body found in Bester's cell
had died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head before it was set
ablaze.
The body's identity is still
unknown.
Earlier this week, police raided a
villa in an affluent Johannesburg suburb where Bester was thought to have spent
time in hiding with Magudumana.
Lamola said a South African
delegation will travel to Tanzania tomorrow to repatriate the fugitives.
"We are confident that we will
receive maximum cooperation from our sister nation, Tanzania, to assist us to
bring these fugitives to justice," Lamola said.
British private security firm G4S,
which operates the prison Bester escaped from, has said three employees were
dismissed in connection with the incident.
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