South Africa arrests man for killing Indian-origin woman on honeymoon

PRETORIA - In a major breakthrough, the South African police have arrested a man involved in the brutal murder of a newly-wed Indian-origin woman who was in the country with her husband for their honeymoon.

The couple who flew into the country from Britain was abducted in a taxi in which they were travelling before the woman was murdered.

The police Wednesday formally arrested a 26-year-old man after he was detained for questioning Tuesday in connection with the case, BuaNews reported.

Police spokesman Captain Frederick Van Wyk said the man will appear in the Khayelitsha Magistrates Court Thursday.

Anni Dewani and her husband Shrien Dewani were honeymooning in the Western Cape when they were hijacked while heading to Gugulethu Saturday night.

The couple were in a taxi owned by a shuttle service company when they were attacked by two armed men at an intersection.

The driver was forced out of the vehicle and the gunmen sped off with the couple still inside the vehicle.

At some point, Shrien Dewani was also forced out of the vehicle, who later alerted police about the hijacking.

A search for the hijacked vehicle led police to Lingelethu West, where Anni Dewani’s body was found on the back seat of the vehicle.

Van Wyk said a post-mortem was carried out Monday and her body was released to family members Tuesday.

Details of the post-mortem would only be released once it was presented as evidence in court, he added.

Police are still on the hunt for another suspect. Van Wyk appealed to people to help the police if they have any information related to the case.