Durban — Twenty-two policemen charged with the murder of Chatsworth resident Regan Naidoo while he was in the police detention cells in August 2018 will return to court next month.
Naidoo, 32, a security technician, was inside the Chatsworth police station where he was allegedly viciously assaulted by police officers.
It is alleged that he was picked up by police, with two other men, for questioning with regard to a firearm that was allegedly sold to him after it had allegedly been used in a murder.
During the questioning, it is alleged that the police officers assaulted Naidoo and the two men.
On August 29, 2018, Naidoo collapsed at the police station and was rushed to RK Khan Hospital in a police vehicle. He was declared dead on arrival.
Kubendran Kisten. 39, Ugeshan Govender, 39, Preshan Lutchman, 30, Christopher Kistan, 50, Irindrin Maistry, 36, Cedric Pillay, 36, Xolani Sosibo, 34, Malcolm Naicker, 39, Brian Naidoo, 63, Trevor Chetty, 44, Ralph Ogle, 43, Mlamuli Ntuthuka, 39, Andries Botes, 46, Sihle Ngidi, 39, Erik Karsen, 39, Mohamed Raoof, 52, Eric Morajane, 44, Pushpanathan Pillay, 48, Riyadh Adam, 39, Devendran Chetty, 49, Rajan Sanders, 47, and Christopher James, 57, appeared at the Durban Regional Court on Thursday.
KwaZulu-Natal National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the matter was provisionally remanded to November, for the reply to further particulars for accused 22 (James).
The group is charged with murder, kidnapping, torture, attempted murder, and defeating or obstructing the ends of justice.
The accused cops, which include officers from the Durban K9 Unit, Chatsworth Trio Crimes, Durban Flying Squad and Provincial Organised Crime Unit, were arrested between September 2021 and September this year.
Meanwhile, Independent Police Investigative Directorate national spokesperson Lizzy Suping said at least 5295 criminal cases were opened against police officers in the last financial year.
Suping was speaking during a television interview on Thursday looking at the recently released 2021/22 annual report.
“In terms of the three main cases we have investigated, we have got assault at 3 400, the discharge of an official firearm at 744, and death due to police action at 410,” said Suping.
According to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), it has probed 99 incidents of rape by on or off-duty police officer(s) which were recorded during the period under review. KwaZulu-Natal leads with 20 incidents, followed by Gauteng and Western Cape with 18 incidents.
“Compared to the previous financial year, Ipid nationally experienced an increase of 24% relating to rape by the police officer(s) with the exception of Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the Free State (which) experienced a decrease,” according to the Ipid report.
Daily News