Kutumela's husband among suspects arrested for murder-for-payout syndicate
Police have arrested the husband of former police sergeant Rachel Kutumela as investigations continue into a multi-million rand insurance murder-for-payout syndicate believed to have claimed the lives of at least ten people.
The arrests form part of an ongoing probe by the police into an alleged scheme in which suspects took out life and funeral insurance policies on vulnerable individuals before arranging for them to be murdered to claim the payouts.
National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe has confirmed that Kutumela’s husband was among the latest suspects arrested during operations carried out in Limpopo on Tuesday.
"The latest suspect that we are arresting is the husband. We do believe he had a hand to play, and he also benefited from what was happening."
Earlier, police arrested two of Kutumela's brothers and a sangoma.
Mathe said the arrest forms part of a broader operation in which police are executing seven warrants of arrest linked to the alleged R10 million insurance murder scheme.
In a separate development, police also arrested a woman in her 50s in Sebokeng on Monday, who is believed to have played a role in the alleged killings.
“Yesterday, we arrested one woman in her fifties in Sebokeng. She too also played a role in this murder scheme," Mathe said.
Police say the investigation has uncovered a network involving several family members and associates of Kutumela.
Authorities believe the suspects targeted vulnerable people, including individuals with disabilities and those from underprivileged communities, taking out insurance policies in their names before orchestrating their murders.
Kutumela was arrested in October 2024 while still serving as a police officer.
She was later dismissed from the South African Police Service.
According to Mathe, the latest arrests bring the total number of suspects linked to the case to eleven, with two suspects still outstanding.
"So far, we have arrested several suspects, and two are still outstanding, but our teams are hard at work tracking them down."
Police believe the crimes linked to the alleged syndicate date back to 2013, with the last murder believed to have taken place in 2024.
Authorities say they are also working closely with banks and insurance companies to uncover the full extent of the alleged fraud and murder plot.
*This is a developing story
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