Gauteng detectives working on the murder of Babita Deokaran got a huge break in the case when seven suspects were nabbed on Thursday.
Babita Deokaran alleged killers nabbed
Police spokesperson Brenda Muridili revealed in a statement that shortly after a special task team was assembled by Gauteng Premier David Makhura, along with the involvement of the Hawks, an intelligence operation yielded fruitful results.
At least seven suspects were identified as persons of interest in the murder investigation and on Thursday, a plan was hatched to nab each alleged killer in different locations in and around Johannesburg.
“A collaboration of crime intelligence units received information and conducted a takedown operation at the suspects’ hideouts in Johannesburg. During the arrests, the police recovered two firearms and two vehicles,” Muridili said.
Four days after Deokaran was gunned down in cold blood, outside of her home in Winchester Hill, detectives are finally on the cusp of closing the case with a strong pile of forensic evidence.
Are their bigger fish to catch?
This week, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) working on numerous PPE tender fraud cases confirmed that Deokaran, a Finance Director and former Acting Chief Financial Officer at the Gauteng Department of Health, was a crucial witness.
“I would like to confirm the fact that the Chief Director of the [Gauteng] Department of Health who was murdered yesterday (Monday) was part of the many witnesses that we had on our investigation into PPEs in the department,” the SIU said.
Deokaran was laid to rest on Thursday and at a night vigil held in her honour at Mary Fitzgerald Square, Premier Makhura, in his address, confirmed that the investigation into the 53-year-old vicious murder extends beyond the seven suspects recently nabbed.
“This case that the SIU has built against these officials is going to lead to full consequences, and the police will find the killers. There is a relationship between the killers and those that are facing these cases at the special tribunal. There is a relationship,” he warned.
At this time, investigations are ongoing to tie the murder to key figures implicated in the multi-billion-rand PPE scam.