Trial in South Africa

Policewoman allegedly murdered six people

In South Africa, a policewoman is suspected of murdering six people in order to collect their life insurance policies. The 43-year-old is said to have known her victims personally - most of them were physically or mentally disabled.

The 43-year-old Rachel Kutumela appeared before the magistrate in Polokwane, 300 kilometers northeast of Johannesburg, on Friday with a hood pulled low over her face and wearing a face mask. The police have charged her with six counts of murder and insurance fraud.

The suspected policewoman in court:

Policewoman took out insurance policies on behalf of victims
Kutumela was arrested on Thursday at a police station in the small town of Senwabarwana. She is said to have collected at least ten million rand (520,000 euros) from life and death benefit insurance policies that she had previously taken out in the names of her victims. "Her victims were known to her and came from destitute and disadvantaged backgrounds. Some were physically or mentally disabled," explained the police.

According to the public prosecutor's office, she allegedly committed the first murder in 2019. The bodies of her victims were found in different locations: A disabled man was discovered dead on an embankment, a woman burned to death in a hut. The next hearing in the case is due to take place on October 18. According to the public prosecutor's office, further arrests are to be expected.

Similar case a few years ago
Three years ago, a similar case made headlines in South Africa: former policewoman Rosemary Ndlovu was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2021 for murdering her boyfriend and five relatives in order to collect their insurance policies.