Riot Hlatshwayo

Riot Hlatshwayo

A 40-year-old Mpumalanga man died under mysterious circumstances inside a police cell about two hours after he had been arrested on a charge relating to the rape of a 13-year-old girl.

Police said yesterday that the man, who cannot be identified until his next-of-kin has been informed, was found dead in a cell at Amsterdam police station on Thursday, barely two hours after his arrest.

"He was found bleeding from the nose and mouth, but what really killed him is still a mystery," Eastern Highveld police spokesman Superintendent Abie Khoabane said on Sunday.

The man had allegedly raped the girl at his home after having dragged her from the street on Wednesday afternoon.

The girl managed to escape and informed neighbours, who helped her open a rape case against the suspect.

Police said the girl was taken to a doctor, who confirmed she had been sexually assaulted.

A postmortem to establish the exact cause of the man's death has been scheduled to take place tomorrow.