Three Durban men on murder charge after suspected thief found chained with padlock around his neck

Three men have been arrested after police discovered the battered body of a man whose hands and legs were bound with a chain secured around his neck with a padlock inside a car in Clairwood, south of Durban, on Tuesday.

KwaZulu-Natal SAPS spokesperson Col Thembeka Mbele said Brighton Beach police received information about a man being assaulted by five people in Flower Road in Clairwood.

“The police noticed a group of men standing along the road and questioned them about a man who was being assaulted. They denied having any knowledge of such an assault in the area.”

She said police found a parked car with chains protruding.

“Upon their inspection of the vehicle, they discovered the body of a 28-year-old man with severe assault injuries, his hands and legs were tied up with a chain which was also secured around his neck with a padlock.”

She said the owner of the vehicle, his son and a friend were arrested and charged for murder. Two suspects managed to flee the scene and are still at large.

Mbele said the man was allegedly assaulted after he was caught removing copper wires from the vehicle.  

The men — aged between 25 and 49 — are expected to appear in the Durban magistrate’s court on Friday.

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