The corpse of Modike Masedi was stolen from the bottom of the coffin in which he lay, as reported by South African police which announced on Wednesday they had launched an “unusual” investigation after the mysterious theft of a corpse from a cemetery.
“The suspect or suspects apparently cut the coffin on the leg side and extracted the body,” Motlafela Mojapelo, police spokeswoman for the northern province of Limpopo, told AFP.
A relative of Modike Masedi, who passed away at the age of 83 last year, went to the village cemetery on Sunday to prepare the grave ahead of a ceremony that would reunite family and friends.
Afterward, this relative found that the brick tomb with the black granite stone on top had been unlocked. A hole has been dug in the side. The corpse was then gone.
The local police chief, Thembi Hadebe, who said he was “shocked”, said in a statement that he had ordered that the grave robbers “be hunted down and brought to justice”.
The police also called on the community to remain calm after the incident and not to seek “justice for themselves”. No arrests have been made at this stage.