A South African fugitive who faked his own death to escape arrest, embarrassing authorities, has been arrested in Tanzania, the South African government announced Saturday.
Thabo Bester, a convicted rapist and murderer, escaped from a private prison in Bloemfontein in May last year, but South African police only learned of his escape in March this year.
South African Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said today that Thabo Bester was arrested in Tanzania on Friday night.
“We confirm that the fugitive Thabo Bester and his accomplice, Nandipha Maguduma, as well as a Mozambican citizen, have been arrested in Tanzania,” Lamola said during a news conference.
Prison authorities thought Bester had died after setting himself on fire behind bars, but in late March police revealed that DNA tests had shown the charred body found in his cell was not his.
Dubbed the “Facebook Rapist”, Thabo Bester lured his victims through social media before raping and robbing them, with at least one victim dead. In 2012, he was sentenced to life in prison for rape, robbery, and murder.
Police Minister Bheki Cele said the three men were arrested in the northern Tanzanian city of Arusha, near the Kenyan border, as they tried to leave the country.
Suspicions about Bester’s death were first raised in November by local outlet GroundUp.
In March, police opened a new homicide investigation after an autopsy revealed that the body found in Bester’s cell had died of head trauma before being set on fire. The identity of the body is unknown.
Source: TSF
