Engagement joy turns to tragedy as seven family members are kidnapped and killed in KZN; three suspects now in custody.
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Less than a week after celebrating with the Monswamy family at an engagement party, their relatives were battling to secure a venue large enough to hold their funeral service.
Devendra Naidoo, Allen Monswamy’s brother-in-law, told IOL the family planned to hold the funeral service on Sunday.
“We’re just trying to secure a venue. We’re having an issue finding a big venue. We’re all in a state of shock, and we’re all really broken. But we’re just trying to be strong and get this done,” he said.
Allen Monswamy, 52, his wife Sandy, 57, their children Kraidon, 26, and Shamaria, 20, as well as relatives Gonosagren Padayachee, 51, Mooniamma Padayachee, 78, and Mariama Happanah, 83, were allegedly kidnapped from their home in Newtown, Newark, on Tuesday night.
They were then taken to Melmoth, where they were killed.
Following an intensive investigation by various law enforcement units, three suspects, aged 21, 26, and 28, were arrested on Wednesday afternoon.
In a statement from the Office of the Provincial Commissioner, it said reports indicated that a domestic helper employed by the victims arrived at their home on Wednesday morning to find the house broken into, with seven people and a vehicle missing.
Police discovered that one of the suspects had worked for the victims. The suspects then led police to Melmoth on Wednesday, where the bodies of the seven victims were found.
Naidoo said Kraidon’s fiancée was also devastated.
“We just are shattered,” he said.
Kraidon and his fiancée, Melissa, celebrated their engagement with both families at a party on Saturday.
Photos and videos posted by guests on social media showed his mother escorting him into the venue. They were seen laughing as they walked inside.
The family and others danced together and wished the couple well in their future together.
A few days later, devastated relatives took to social media to post tributes and messages of farewell to the family.
IOL News