Cops probe mortuary's missing body parts

Police were on Wednesday searching for body parts that were sliced off three corpses at a Pietermaritzburg mortuary.

Superintendent Henry Budhram said that on Monday the owner of a funeral service business reported to police that body parts were missing from three corpses—two females and a male—that were being kept in its cold room.

The body parts missing included eyes and sexual organs.

Budhram said police were not ruling out the possibility that the body parts were taken for muti purposes.

The name of the funeral service was not released.

“We arrested two employees later that day but the body parts were not found. The suspects are due to appear in court today [Wednesday],” said Budhram.

The suspects will face a charge of violation of corpses and two counts of contravening the Human Tissue Act.

Due to the mass action by the Congress of South African Trade Unions, prosecutors at the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court said the matter would be remanded, as would other cases pending at the court.—Sapa