The festive season turned into a nightmare for a Shallcross couple who received the news of their son’s horrific murder from his friends on 28 December 2021, after his body was found in the boot of a car with a locked chain around his neck at Flower Road in Brighton Beach.
Mala Arunajallem said she was forced to face her son Sershen’s ruthless killers when they appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court this week and hopes that the other suspects who were involved in her son’s killing are soon apprehended by police.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Colonel Thembeka Mbele, said Brighton Beach Police were conducting crime prevention duties when they received information about a man being assaulted by five people at about 1.35pm.
“Upon arrival at the scene, police noticed a group of men standing along the road and questioned them about a man who was being assaulted. They denied knowledge of any assault in the area. Police officers became suspicious and made enquiries in the area. While investigating, police noticed a parked vehicle with chains hanging out and proceeded to inspect the vehicle when they discovered the body of a man with severe assault injuries and his hands and legs were tied up with a chain which was locked around his neck with a padlock,” added Col Mbele.
The owner of the vehicle, his son and a friend were arrested and charged for murder. The other two suspects managed to flee the scene and they are still at large. The deceased was allegedly assaulted after he was caught removing copper wire from the vehicle. Arunajallem said that despite accusations of her son stealing, which is something she believed he would not do as he was employed at a trucking company and was a man with morals, the barbaric manner in which her son was killed is something that haunts her.
“The suspects were my son’s friends. To know that he even grew up in front of one of them is what makes it worse. How could human beings take the life of someone they know in such a gruesome and inhumane manner? We pray that justice is served,” said his distraught parents.
“Once again police warn communities to refrain from taking the law into their own hands. There is no place in society for vigilantes and we will not tolerate those who have no respect for the rule of law,” added Col Mbele. Arunajallem was laid to rest on Sunday. The three men accused of his murder will re-appear in court in February.
