Indian-origin woman in South Africa charged with perjury for faking her own kidnapping
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Johannesburg: A 47-year-old Indian-origin woman who allegedly faked her kidnapping and demanded a R2 million ransom from her husband was charged with perjury after investigating officers located her from a hotel room in South Africa's Pietermaritzburg city.
The National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Kara said on Wednesday that Firoza Bee Bee Joseph, was charged with "defeating the ends of justice" and released on bail until her next court appearance on June 7.
She was arrested on Tuesday after a police investigation proved her version of events was not entirely accurate.
Joseph's husband received a call on Monday saying she was kidnapped and pleaded with him to deposit an undisclosed amount of money for her release, said police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda.
According to the charge sheet, there was a R2 million ransom.
Her husband received another call from a man who threatened to hurt the woman if the money was not paid, Netshiunda said.
As investigations proceeded, police found footage of Joseph at a casino in Pietermaritzburg, some 80 km from Phoenix, after the ransom calls were made.
Further investigation led police to locate Joseph from a bed and breakfast facility in the city, where she had checked in under a different name.
She was also found in possession of all her jewellery, which she claimed was taken by the kidnappers, Netshiunda added.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
