A South African murderer identified as Thabo Bester, 35, has been arrested in Tanzania a year after he faked his death and escaped prison.
Bester has been arrested together with his socialite girlfriend Dr Nandipha Magudumana and a Mozambican national.
Bester is known in South Africa “Facebook rapist” as he used the site to lure at least two women he was convicted of raping. He was also convicted of killing one of the women.
In May it was reported that he died in a fire in his prison cell at Mangaung Correctional Centre
However, reports recently surfaced of him being seen in Johannesburg. DNA analysis confirmed that the body found in Bester’s cell, which was burnt beyond recognition and used to cover up his escape, was not that of Bester.
Local news outlet GroundUp reported that for almost a year after his prison escape, Bester lived a lavish lifestyle with his girlfriend Nandipha Magudumana, a celebrity doctor.
Last week, police raided a luxury home Bester was believed to have been renting in a Johannesburg suburb.
On Friday, the manhunt ended in Tanzania where Bester and Magudumana as well as a third person were arrested.
Police minister Bheki Cele said: “The people [Bester and Magudumana] were spotted leaving their hotel in a black SUV by those working on the case. Police followed them and found them with a third person, a Mozambican national.”
The three were found with several fake passports about six miles from the Tanzanian border with Kenya.
Meanwhile, authorities in South Africa have started a process to extradite the group to South Africa, where they are expected to face several charges.
Bester’s escape has since led to the firing of at t least three officials at the Mangaung Correctional Centre which was managed privately by the British-based G4S security firm but has now been taken over by the South African government.
