Canaan Mdletshe

Canaan Mdletshe

A policeman and his wife appeared in the Kokstad magistrate's court yesterday on charges of corruption, defeating the ends of justice and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

Inspector Kistany Pillay, 44, who worked at the family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit, was arrested at his home on Friday.

Superintendent Zandra Wiid said Pillay's wife Lalita Ramdew, 38, was arrested for possession of a firearm. She was in the house during the raid.

"The arrest came after an eight-year-old girl and her mother reported a rape case on July 8," Wiid said.

"Although Pillay took the child and the mother to a clinic for medical examination, he failed to take her to a district surgeon and never opened a case docket."

Wiid said Pillay also allegedly accepted a bribe from the suspect.

"He allegedly accepted R500 from the suspect and issued a fraudulent receipt," she said.

"When police raided his house, they found police dockets, an unlicensed 9mm pistol, a revolver and ammunition."

Wiid said a case into the rape of the eight-year-old was also under investigation and a suspect had been arrested.

Ramdew is out on R500 bail, while Pillay and the rape suspect are in custody until their next appearance today.

Meanwhile, spokesman for Child Line in KwaZulu-Natal, Linda Naidoo, said the case was of great concern to them.

She said that people were not entirely happy with the work of the police.

"Often people complain that their dockets were lost and cases not concluded.

"There's a great deal of despondency and the rate is alarming," she said.