By Aerusha Jenal Lalbahadur
The close-knit community of Wisecroft in Phoenix, has been left shaken following the arrest of 38-year-old Zunaid Dawood, who is accused of murdering his neighbour, whose decomposed body was discovered following a wellness check, last week.
Dawood appeared at the Verulam Magistrate’s Court where he is facing charges of murder among others. According to Captain Louise Naidoo, communications officer at the Phoenix SAPS, the accused was arrested after his mother came to the station and reported the incident.
She said: “On 21 September, at 12pm an Indian female approached an officer at the Detective Service Centre in regards to a phone call that she had with her son. The woman said she had asked her son about the whereabouts of a neighbour, who was last seen on 17 September, to which he had responded that he had killed the neighbour.”
Naidoo said based on this information a statement was taken from the Indian lady and a patrol van was sent to Wisecroft for a follow up. She said a family member was requested to go to the residence with a set of spare keys, as the deceased resided alone.
“Upon further investigation a warrant officer entered the house and noticed bloodied shoe prints on the kitchen tiled floors. There was also a strong odour coming from the lounge consistent with the smell of a decomposing body. An Indian male was found in the lounge on the floor, with multiple injuries to head and back area, consistent with possible stabbing. There was also a considerable amount of dried blood on the floor near deceased,” said Naidoo.
Naidoo said there were no signs of forced entry into premises, however rooms were ransacked and family members confirmed that there was a TV and microwave were missing. She said neighbours were interviewed and confirmed that the deceased and alleged suspect were last seen on 19 September at 9am, in the back yard of deceased’s home.
“The suspect and deceased were said to be friends and the accused would stay over at times at deceased’s home. The deceased suffered from cerebral paralysis. Other info obtained was that the suspect was a drug addict and lived a few doors away from deceased’s home,” said Naidoo.
She said on the night of 21 September, Phoenix SAPS received information on the whereabouts of the suspect and thereafter a task team was formed.
“The task team proceeded to Florida Road in Durban where the suspect was apprehended at the Caltex garage situated on the corners of Argyle and Florida Road. The suspect is a 38-year-old Indian male. The suspect was transported and detained accordingly at SAPS Phoenix free of any visible injuries,” said Naidoo.
A resident of Wisecroft who wanted to remain anonymous said the community is shocked by the murder and is hoping that the deceased and his family gets the justice that they deserve.
He said: “The victim was a humble and loving person, who always greeted everyone he saw. He always tried to help wherever he could and never saw the bad in people.”
He added: “The scene of the murder was terrifying, as a community to find out that this happened right by us and we didn’t know anything about it scares us. There was blood everywhere and there was signs of struggle. He did not deserve this and we are hoping that the murderer gets the punishment he deserves.”
The public relations officer for the Phoenix Community Policing Forum, Mark Nadasen, said: “It is utterly heartbreaking when individuals are attacked by people who are closest to them, be it family members, neighbours, or even friends as was the case in this instance unfortunately. Drugs are becoming more and more readily available with each passing day, and this only adds to the escalation of the crime rate in our community. We do understand that the war we wage against drugs every day is an uphill battle, however, we appeal to SAPS to take a stronger standpoint as drug abuse inevitably ends in tragedy.”
“On behalf of the Phoenix Community Policing Forum, we would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased. May God be with you during these trying times,” added Nadasen.
Naidoo passed her gratitude to the members who were involved in the speedy arrest of the suspect. She said: “Warrant Officer Ramulu and Detective Seargent Hurrinath must be especially recognised for going beyond the call of duty and their dedication, commitment and preservice in leaving no stone unturned to hunt down the suspect.”
She said they made sure to complete a process started during the day in terms of attending to the crime scene, gathering information and ultimately leading to the arrest of the perpetrator. “These positive and enthusiastic police actions instils public confidence in the police and some peace of mind for the deceased family members, on the swift arrest of the suspect. Keep up the excellent work,” added Naidoo.
