High-ranking KwaZulu-Natal policeman and former Durban Hawks boss Colonel Rajen Aiyer was arrested on Wednesday on charges of defeating the ends of justice and perjury.
Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) detectives arrested Aiyer at his office at the city’s police headquarters.
Aiyer had given a statement which formed the basis of a racketeering charge against the so-called “Cato Manor death squad”.
IPID spokesman Moses Dlamini confirmed the arrest.
"He will appear at the Regional Court today for defeating the ends of justice‚ perjury and contravention of section 9 of Act 16 of 1963‚" he said.
It is understood that the charges relate to an incident in 2013 in which Aiyer and his girlfriend were robbed at knifepoint while in a car at Blue Lagoon.
When the matter found its way to court a year later‚ cracks emerged in Aiyer’s testimony‚ prompting Durban Regional Court magistrate Anand Maharaj to suggest that former provincial commissioner Mmamonnye Ngobeni’s office investigate potential charges of misconduct and defeating the ends of justice against him. The robbery charges were withdrawn against the accused in the matter.
At the time‚ he was accused of trying to prevent his girlfriend from testifying and writing her police statement.
Aiyer was previously in command of the now disbanded Cato Manor Serious and Violent Crimes Unit which was later dubbed a "death squad".
The squad face a litany of charges including theft and murder‚ specifically of suspects during the course of their arrests.
They allegedly killed suspects or rivals of taxi operators they were doing business with and planted weapons to create the impression that the killings were justified. Members of the squad were arrested in 2012 but their trial has yet to commence.
Some media reports said that the charges against suspended KwaZulu-Natal Hawks commander Johan Booysen were primarily aimed at removing him from the Hawks to prevent him from investigating senior police officials and politically connected businessmen allegedly involved in high-level corruption.