A man whose mother was brutally murdered in her home in Athlone says cops are dragging their feet in the investigation.
Sultana Begum Abdullah Ulde, 66, was bludgeoned to death on 26 April. Her lifeless body was found by her son Yaseen Parker hours after the incident in their Rylands home.
The home is on the same premises from where they run their tyre business.
The devastated man says when he got home from work that Friday afternoon he noticed the business’ doors were open.
“Everything was open, the back gate and the office door were open. The house was ransacked, everything was turned upside down, they broke the cupboards, went through everything, clothes were on the floor.
“I was so shocked by the state of the room and couldn’t see that my mother was by my feet. It was more than one person who did this, by the look of the house.”
He says he initially thought his mom had been kidnapped.
“I ran next door and told them (neighbours) she was missing. They came home with me and one of them shouted, Yaseen you have to come and see here. He discovered my mother on the floor, she was beaten up, she bled to death.
“I don’t know if they wanted the safe key and then attacked her. There was so much blood, it was a difficult scene to see. The suspects robbed us.”
He says it’s almost three weeks since the murder and Athlone police have not made any breakthrough.
“The detective doesn’t even answer the phone sometimes, they haven’t found anything. Three phones were stolen and none have been tracked.
“I preserved the crowbar that was on the scene and watched the police touch it with their bare hands. Our own fingerprints were not taken to eliminate us from the crime scene.
“This has not given me enough faith in this detective, and I would like a new detective to take over the case. I tried to get hold of the station commander and I was told that he was on leave.”
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk says the case is still under investigation: “There are no developments to report to the media at this stage. The investigation into this matter is still ongoing.”