Seven people were killed after being kidnapping in Newtown, Newark, in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

• Three men were arrested and are due in the KwaDukuza Magistrate’s Court on Friday for the kidnapping and murder of seven people in Newark, near KwaDukuza.
• Police allege the suspects – including a man employed by the victims – tied up the family, abducted them, and drove them about 200km to Melmoth, where three were shot and four stabbed to death; a 20-year-old woman was allegedly raped multiple times.
• A multi-unit police operation tracked the suspects to Hlomendlini and Sundumbili, recovering a firearm and stolen cellphones before the accused led officers to the victims’ bodies.

Police have arrested three suspects following the kidnapping and brutal murder of seven people in Newtown, Newark, about an hour north of Durban in KwaDukuza.

The suspects – aged 21, 26 and 28 – are expected to appear in the KwaDukuza Magistrate’s Court on Friday in connection with the mass killing.

The victims were kidnapped from their home on Tuesday night, police said.

“It is alleged that one of the suspects, who was employed by the victims, together with his accomplices, broke into the house, tied the victims with a rope and forcefully removed them from the premises,” said police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda on Thursday.

The seven were loaded into a vehicle belonging to one of them and driven approximately 200km to Melmoth in northern KwaZulu-Natal, he added.

“Investigations revealed that one of the suspects allegedly raped a 20-year-old woman at the house before transporting her to Melmoth, where she was allegedly raped again.

“The same suspect allegedly raped the 20-year-old victim again in Melmoth before the suspects demanded banking details and PINs from three of the victims,” said Netshiunda.

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Police further uncovered that several bank transfers were made from the victims’ accounts between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

“After collecting the banking details, the suspects shot and killed three victims. The other four victims were brutally stabbed to death,” said KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

The victims were between 20 and 83 years old.

The crime was discovered on Wednesday morning when a domestic worker arrived at the property and found the house broken into, with the seven people and a vehicle missing.

Mkhwanazi said Newark police were summoned to the scene before a multi-disciplinary operation involving KwaDukuza detectives, Tactical Response Teams, the Provincial Counter-Intelligence Unit, the Provincial Counter-Kidnapping Unit, the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Unit, and private security companies and CPFs.

Mkhwanazi said swift police investigations led members to the Hlomendlini area, where two suspects were arrested.

“One of the suspects was found in possession of a cellphone belonging to one of the kidnapped victims,” he said.

Police later arrested a third suspect in the Dendetu area in Sundumbili, where a firearm was recovered.

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According to police, 11 cellphones were found in the suspects’ possession.

Furthermore, the suspects subsequently led police to Melmoth, where the bodies of the seven victims were discovered.

Mkhwanazi commended the various units for their swift action.

He said some crimes are difficult for police to prevent; however, if a crime occurs, police must have the capacity to respond and crack the case.

“It is worrisome that one of the suspects was employed by the victims. We are urging employers to conduct background checks on people they employ and to study suspicious behaviour,” he said.

He added that police are determined to secure the harshest possible punishment.

“Police will leave no stone unturned in the quest for a maximum jail sentence for the suspects. We will also analyse every piece of evidence to determine whether the suspects can be linked to other cases in and around the province,” he said.

Investigations are ongoing.