South Africa witnesses protests over ruthless killing of Indian-origin girl
A nine-year-old Indian-origin girl was killed in a botched carjacking on Monday in South Africa's Durban which led to angry protests by more than 3,000 community members in the Indian township of Chatsworth in Johannesburg. Police and community leaders have appealed for calm amid fears that the protests would escalate on Tuesday as the distraught family prepares for the girl's funeral. Here's more.
Victim's car was hijacked while she was going to school
Sadia Sukhraj was on her way to school with her father when three armed men allegedly hijacked the car she was in and sped away with her. In the following chase in which the hijackers and community members shot at each other, the hijackers crashed the car they were in. The girl was found shot and critically injured; one of the hijackers was dead.
One hijacker arrested, another one on the run
Sadia was rushed to a hospital but she succumbed to her injuries. A second hijacker was arrested by an off-duty policeman, while the third one escaped. Following the incident, more than 3,000 members of the community assembled outside Chatsworth police station calling for urgent police action. Some of the police officers allegedly came under severe verbal abuse and threats of physical action from protesters.
Criminals have now turned to striking at soft targets
Following the attack from the protesters, the police resorted to firing rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd. Mahendra Lillkan, Chairperson of the local Crime Forum, said there had been a spike in crime in the area, despite community patrols at night. "It seems that the criminals have now targeting soft targets, such as parents taking their children to school," Lillkan said.
