A fleeing robber jumped into a river in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, to escape the police on Wednesday - but he could not swim to safety.
People walking along the Ncandu River heard the robber scream for help before he disappeared under the water.
Minutes earlier, the man had pulled out a knife and demanded a cellphone from a young woman. He thought he had made a clean getaway until he saw two policemen behind him.
The victim's father, who was driving past, stopped a police van. With nowhere to run, the man jumped into the river.
Police divers unsuccessfully searched for the man's body on Wednesday.
When the search resumed yesterday the victim's father showed the divers the spot from which the man had jumped.
Police spokesman Captain Shooz Magudulela confirmed a man's body was retrieved yesterday .
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