|
Cops arrest man resembling 'Houdini'
23/11/2006 08:15 - (SA)
Johannesburg - A man strongly resembling the Mozambican national who escaped from Pretoria's C-Max prison has been arrested in Mpumalanga, police said on Thursday.
"He looks exactly like Annanias Mathe," police spokesperson Superintendent Mtsholi Bhembe told Sapa.
"As a matter of urgency, tests are being conducted right now to determine his identity. It's a very strong resemblance to Mathe."
The man was cornered at Tonga township in Komatipoort, near the border between South Africa and Mozambique.
He was arrested shortly before midnight on Wednesday.
Police found matchboxes filled with dagga on him.
It was by Thursday still unclear how Mathe, 29, managed to escape on Saturday night from one of the most secure prisons in the country.
Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour said on Wednesday an agent from the National Intelligence Agency will head an investigating team into the escape.
Mathe faced 51 charges, including murder, attempted murder, rape, hijacking and armed robbery.
He was detained at A6 section, which houses hardened criminals regarded as escape risks.
Initial reports said it appeared that the "Houdini" stripped and covered his entire body with petroleum jelly to climb out of a window measuring 20cm x 60cm.
- SAPA
|
News
