Three more suspects have been arrested in connection with the aided escape from prison of rapist and murderer Thabo Bester.
The trio’s arrests have advanced the number of suspects to 12. They will appear in the Bloemfontein magistrate’s court on Wednesday.
National police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said one suspect was arrested at his home in Botshabelo, 66km east of Bloemfontein, while the other two were arrested in Bloemfontein. Mathe said the suspects were all male.
“They all face a charge of assisting an inmate to escape from lawful custody, violation of a corpse and corruption,” said Mathe.
“Twelve suspects have been arrested in this case. The possibility of more arrests cannot be ruled out.”
The trio joins Senohe Matsoara, Teboho Lipholo, Buti Masemola, Tieho Frans Makhotsa, Natassja Jansen, Nandipha Magudumana, Thabo Bester and Zolile Sekeleni, and Xanda Moyo who are all implicated in the escape saga.
Bester was arrested in Arusha, Tanzania, on April 8 while he was on the run with his partner in crime Dr Nandipha Magudumana and Zakaria Alberto, a Mozambican national.
He escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Centre after faking his death in a fire in his prison cell in May 2022. He was on the run for almost a year before a photo of him out shopping was shared on social media.
Possibility of more arrests cannot be ruled out, say police
Three new arrests raise Bester accused to 12
Image: Thapelo Morebudi
Three more suspects have been arrested in connection with the aided escape from prison of rapist and murderer Thabo Bester.
The trio’s arrests have advanced the number of suspects to 12. They will appear in the Bloemfontein magistrate’s court on Wednesday.
National police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said one suspect was arrested at his home in Botshabelo, 66km east of Bloemfontein, while the other two were arrested in Bloemfontein. Mathe said the suspects were all male.
“They all face a charge of assisting an inmate to escape from lawful custody, violation of a corpse and corruption,” said Mathe.
“Twelve suspects have been arrested in this case. The possibility of more arrests cannot be ruled out.”
The trio joins Senohe Matsoara, Teboho Lipholo, Buti Masemola, Tieho Frans Makhotsa, Natassja Jansen, Nandipha Magudumana, Thabo Bester and Zolile Sekeleni, and Xanda Moyo who are all implicated in the escape saga.
Bester was arrested in Arusha, Tanzania, on April 8 while he was on the run with his partner in crime Dr Nandipha Magudumana and Zakaria Alberto, a Mozambican national.
He escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Centre after faking his death in a fire in his prison cell in May 2022. He was on the run for almost a year before a photo of him out shopping was shared on social media.
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