A 26-year-old male was arrested on February 07 by Elukwatini’s FCS Unit for the rape of a 2- year old toddler in an abandoned, unused old house at Nhlazatshe no 5.
According to the spokesperson for Elukwatini Police Station, Wisema Nkosi, it is alleged that the toddler left home, going to a nearby Tuckshop and was lured by the suspect to an old, nearby unused house.
“He then raped the girl before letting her go. The toddler’s grandmother was alerted by a passer-by who saw the bleeding child. Fortunately, one community member had seen the man when he was with the child going in the direction of the alleged crime scene,” he said.
Nkosi said the community embarked on a manhunt and found the suspect in a tavern close by. He was assaulted and rescued by the police after he sustained minor injuries.
However the police welcomed the gesture of the community in catching the suspect but condemned the community for taking the law into their own hands.
The man is expected to appear in Chief Albert Luthuli’s Magistrate’s Court today (February 07) on a rape charge.
