Diamond dealer hit suspect dies
2008-11-20 09:05
Johannesburg - The suspected robber who died in police custody on Tuesday had "most likely" murdered the prominent diamond dealer, Michel Rubenik, 50.
Rubenik was shot down near his workplace at the Diamond Centre in the Johannesburg city centre on Monday evening.
A few hours later the police caught four suspects in a silver Toyota Corolla on the M1 highway and had to "use violence" to arrest them.
The suspects pointed an AK-47 at the officers when they wanted to force the vehicle off the road. An R5 assault rifle and a pistol were also found in their possession.
One of the four suspects "passed out" later in the Norwoord police station and died.
Provincial police spokesperson Superintendent Eugene Opperman said on Wednesday the four suspects could "in all likelihood" be linked to Rubenik's murder.
Rubenik was approached near his workplace by two vehicles, a Toyota Corolla and a Mercedes-Benz, before he was shot from one of the cars.
Robbery or assassination?
Opperman said the motive for the murder was "probably" robbery, although the police confirmed on Tuesday that nothing had been stolen from Rubenik.
In the diamond industry Rubenik's murder is generally viewed as an assassination. A reliable source told Beeld that about 100 spent AK-47 cartridges were found on the scene. The police are said to be looking for four more suspects.
Opperman said "there were quite a few shells at the scene and it seems as if Rubenik and the murderers had exchanged fire".
He said investigators had met on Wednesday afternoon to discuss leads. He did not want to say more, as the investigation is at a delicate stage.
Rubenik's family and friends buried him in the south of Johannesburg on Wednesday afternoon.
"The family is still very traumatised and we do not want to say anything that will affect the investigation," a family member said shortly afterwards.
The surviving suspects appeared briefly in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court and will be formally charged next week.