A South African policewoman appeared in court on Friday accused of killing six people over an insurance payout of at least 10 million rand ($570,000) in murders that began in 2019.
The sergeant, 43, stood in the court cell in Polokwane, about 190 kilometers north-east of Johannesburg, with his face covered in trousers and a mask until he was told by the court to reveal himself.
Rachel Kutumela was arrested on Thursday while on duty at the police station in the small town of Senwabarwana, 55 miles from Polokwane, the police said in a statement.
“His victims are known to him and they come from poor homes and some are disabled or mentally disturbed,” said the statement.
Kutumela is accused of six murders and demanding at least 10 million rands in funeral insurance and life policies he took out for his victims.
“The incidents started in 2019 when people who were insured were found dead and their bodies dumped in different places,” said the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
The body of one man, who was disabled, was pulled from the dam and a woman was found burned to death in a shack, authorities said.
“This is an organized crime,” NPA provincial spokesperson Mashudu Malabi Dzhangi told ENCA broadcaster outside the court, the case was adjourned to October 18 to hear the bail application.
Prosecutors say they expect more arrests.
In a statement, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu praised the police “for their hard work and diligence in convicting this corrupt police officer.”
“The nature of this crime is very worrying, as the victims reach their ends in different violent ways,” said Mchunu. “Such brutality and disregard for human life is highly reprehensible, and shocking when committed by someone sworn to uphold the law and protect the innocent.”
In 2021, the people of South Africa were caught in a similar case when ex-police officer Rosemary Ndlovu was sentenced to life in prison for killing five relatives and her boyfriend to get money for insurance claims. He was finally caught after the person who hired him to kill his sister went to the police, reported the BBC.
South Africa, a country of 62 million people, recorded 12,734 murders in the first six months of this year, according to official police crime statistics. That’s an average of over 70 a day.