A 23-year-old man from the Kingdom of Eswatini, who used social media to lure women through romantic gestures and then allegedly rob and rape them, has been arrested.
The suspect is expected to appear at the Matsulu periodical court in Mpumalanga on Thursday.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said several incidents were reported and dockets were assigned to a team of investigators from the family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit, who discovered that there was a possible serial rapist on the loose.
“The suspect was charged for contravention of the Immigration Act after it was discovered that he did not have valid documents to be in South Africa, as well as four counts of rape and three counts for robbery,” said Mohlala.
Upon his arrest, the police found items belonging to his victims and established that they were mainly enticed through social media. Mohlala called on the public to be wary of who they engage with on social media.
“These people always seek new ways to defraud victims of their money. They even go to an extent of informing some victims that there is an inheritance left by their unknown family members.”
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