A South African police officer appeared in court on Friday for the alleged murder of six people since 2019 in order to collect insurance compensation. Rachel Kutumela, 43, was arrested on Thursday at the police station where she works, in the small town of Senwabarwana, about 90 km from Polokwane, located some 300 km northeast of Johannesburg.
On Friday, she appeared at Polokwane court with her face hidden by a hoodie and mask until she was asked to appear in court.
“She knew her victims, who came from disadvantaged backgrounds, some of whom were disabled or had mental problems,” police said in a statement.
The police officer is accused of having killed six people and of having claimed at least 10 million rands (around 490,000 francs) for funeral and life insurance that she had taken out on behalf of the victims. “It started in 2019 when the insured people were found dead, their bodies dumped in various places,” the national prosecutor’s office said.
The body of a disabled man was notably found in a dam while that of a woman was discovered burned in a cabin, according to the same source.
“This is a premeditated affair,” provincial prosecutor’s office spokesperson Mashudu Malabi Dzhangi told local media outside the court, which adjourned the case to October 18 for a hearing on a request for release. on bail. According to the prosecution, new arrests could take place.
In 2021, South Africans were captivated by a similar case: a former police officer, Rosemary Ndlovu, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of five relatives and a boyfriend in order to collect insurance money.
