Three cops in court on murder‚ torture claims

Three policemen accused of the torture and murder of Mbongiseni Ndlela are expected to appear in the Greytown Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

The officers‚ one detective and two operatives from the Crime Intelligence Unit‚ face charges of murder‚ assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and defeating the ends of justice.

A fourth officer‚ sought by police watchdog Ipid‚ committed suicide at the weekend after his colleagues were placed in handcuffs.

Ndlela had handed himself over to police for questioning on August 2‚ with his captors claiming he had been linked to a murder. He and his nephew were tortured in custody‚ according to Ipid investigators.

“One of the suspects [Ndlela] succumbed to his injuries and died. Then the police orchestrated a plan to dispose of the deceased’s body‚ dumping it in nearby bushes‚” Ipid spokesman Moses Dlamini said in a statement.

“The family of the man reported him missing at the same station when he failed to return home. The police told the family that he had been released on the same day after questioning‚” Dlamini added.