Seabata Mahao
Sub-Inspector ‘Mareabetsoe Mofoka stated that the police last week conducted an operation in Maseru town where 42 unlicensed transport vehicles were arrested. The operation came after the police launched investigations on the cause of traffic congestion in town wherein they found that there are a number of unlicensed transport vehicles commonly known as the ‘pirate taxis’ that on the loose. Police will also investigate whether the vehicles are fully registered and check if there are no vehicles from the reported hijacking cases.
In Thaba-Tseka, a Mosotho man aged 57 years appeared before the magistrate on charges of sexually assaulting a 3-year-old toddler and will appear again on August 18th 2021. The report indicates that on August 2nd 2021 the victim and her friends were eating in the house of the suspect then she stayed behind while others left.
Furthermore, when the other children returned to the suspect’s house they found the victim on the bed then they ran to report the incident to their parents who responded and found the victim badly hurt. It is also reported that the suspect was caught multiple times by the community sexually assaulting animals but they did not report him to the police.
A Mosotho woman aged 34, was arrested by the Thaba-Tseka police on August 3rd 2021 on charges of birth concealment. It is said that the suspect one day appeared without any signs of pregnancy or labour signs after giving birth then the community women asked the area chief to let them talk to the suspect to find out what happened to her pregnancy.
The suspect then tried to skip town but was caught where after she told them that after giving birth she strangled the new born baby with her blanket then threw it in the toilets of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Safety offices in the area. The corpse of the baby was then fished out from the toilet.
She further explained that it is two years now since her husband went to South Africa so she ended up having a baby with another man then she decided to conceal the birth of the baby. She will appear before the magistrate once the police investigations are complete.
A police sergeant was assaulted and kidnapped then found dead in Mokhotlong on August 8th 2021. The report states that the victim was driving with his with his son along with five other people when a 4×4 single cab vehicle stopped them, yanked the police officer out of the vehicle and threw into their car which sped off.
The police conducted a search for the abducted police officer then arrested a suspect who showed them where the body was thrown at. Further reports indicate that the deceased’s lifeless body was found on the hills of Ha-Motlalepula with multiple stab wounds, the kidnap vehicle was also found along with the suspected murder weapon-knife as well the deceased’s phone. Police are still investigating the cause of the death of the police sergeant.
Police received 13 cases of stock theft and one suspect was arrested and appeared before the magistrate. Further report states that, 24 cows, 3 donkeys, 35 sheep and 4 goats were reported stolen while 1 cows and 1 horse that the police retrieved have not been claimed.