A 29-year-old man, Naseem Ahmed, has been arrested on Thursday evening, January 21 in South Africa for allegedly killing his 20-year-old girlfriend and their child.
The decomposing bodies of the young mother, Chantelle Ash and their nine-month-old daughter Tasneem were discovered by a receptionist at a lodge situated on R518, near Masodi village. They had been strangled with their hands tied from the back.
Provincial police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe, who confirmed the incident on Friday, said;
It is alleged that on January 12 at about 7pm, a man and woman with their nine-month-old baby were dropped at the gate of the lodge. Apparently they rented a room for overnight accommodation without providing their personal information and promised the receptionist they would check out the next day.
Two days later, the receptionist went to check on them and made the gruesome discovery. The male who came to the lodge with the mother and child was not present.
The Police were immediately notified and a 72-hour activation plan which included the Crime Intelligence, Tracking Team, Detectives and other supporting units were mobilised.
A massive manhunt was launched which resulted in the arrest of this suspect at Brixton, in Gauteng Province.
Ngoepe stated the motive behind the incident was still not clear at this stage but domestic violence may not be ruled out.
The suspect, said to be a Pakistani national, appeared in the Mokerong Magistrate’s Court on Friday, January 22.
Meanwhile, the Provincial Commissioner of South African Police Service in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba has welcomed the arrest of the suspect.
The Provincial Commissioner has applauded the Police for the speedy arrest and highlighted the swift action should send a clear message to those involved in heinous crimes especially against women and children that they will be tracked down and brought to book.
