A 27-year-old man who failed to appear in court this week has been rearrested after a community member identified him through social media, Eastern Cape police said.
Police spokesperson Col Priscilla Naidu said Simnikiwe Jimi, who was out on R500 bail for the alleged rape of a 34-year-old woman in Walmer in 2019, failed to appear in court in Gqeberha on Monday.
Naidu said a warrant for his arrest was issued after he went missing from his home in the Walmer location.
On the same day, police received a tip-off from a resident in Southernwood after he read on social media that police were looking for Jimi.
“The person assisted police in keeping tabs on him and this morning [Tuesday] Simnikiwe Jimi was arrested at a relative’s house in St George's Street in Southernwood.
“The SA Police Service extends their appreciation to the media and the communities for their assistance in speedily tracking, tracing and arresting a wanted rape accused within 24 hours,” Naidu said.
Jimi is due to appear in the Gqeberha magistrate's court on Wednesday.
TimesLIVE
Rape suspect on the run rearrested after being recognised on social media
Image: Saps
A 27-year-old man who failed to appear in court this week has been rearrested after a community member identified him through social media, Eastern Cape police said.
Police spokesperson Col Priscilla Naidu said Simnikiwe Jimi, who was out on R500 bail for the alleged rape of a 34-year-old woman in Walmer in 2019, failed to appear in court in Gqeberha on Monday.
Naidu said a warrant for his arrest was issued after he went missing from his home in the Walmer location.
On the same day, police received a tip-off from a resident in Southernwood after he read on social media that police were looking for Jimi.
“The person assisted police in keeping tabs on him and this morning [Tuesday] Simnikiwe Jimi was arrested at a relative’s house in St George's Street in Southernwood.
“The SA Police Service extends their appreciation to the media and the communities for their assistance in speedily tracking, tracing and arresting a wanted rape accused within 24 hours,” Naidu said.
Jimi is due to appear in the Gqeberha magistrate's court on Wednesday.
TimesLIVE
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