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Police in the Limpopo province of South Africa have a peculiar case on their hands after thieves stole a corpse from a grave in Makwakwaila, leaving it empty.
One of the family members discovered that the grave was tempered with on Sunday when she went to clean the grave site ahead of a ceremony to unveil the tombstone.
The deceased, Modike Philemon Masedi, died on 15 January last year and was buried seven days later.
SA Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said the motive for the incident is not yet known as police hunt for suspects.
“Upon arriving at the scene, police were met by the unusual sight of the violated grave having a hole and an open coffin with no corpse inside.
“Preliminary probe conducted at the scene established that the suspects accessed the graveyard by cutting the side fence. They then dug a hole next to the grave, accessed the coffin and stole the corpse. The motive for this incident is unknown at this stage,” said Mojapelo said on Tuesday.
Investigators in Mokwakwaila opened a case of desecration of a grave and theft of a corpse.
Mojapelo said provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe “expressed shock” at the criminal act and ordered the perpetrators be hunted down and brought to book.
She warned community members to allow police to do their work.
“We call on community members in the area to respect the unfolding investigations conducted by the police and desist from pointing fingers, as these often play into instigators of vigilantism in which people take the law into their own hands,” she said.
Anyone with information that can assist investigators can contact crime stop on 0860010111.
Alternatively, they can visit the nearest police station.
