Alleged Indian-origin drug kingpin shot dead in South Africa; suspected killers beheaded

Johannesburg, January 5

An alleged drug kingpin of Indian origin was shot dead at his home in South Africa in broad daylight, enraging his supporters in the community who beheaded the two suspected killers and set their bodies alight.

Yaganathan Pillay, popularly known as ‘Teddy Mafia’, was shot twice in the head at his home in Shallcross, which is a part of the sprawling Indian township of Chatsworth near Durban.

Pillay’s daughter let the two men in as her father was expecting guests. She later heard gunshots and found that her father had been shot, according to local police.

While some community members rushed Pillay to a local hospital, where he died from his wounds, others cornered the two alleged killers before shooting and stabbing them to death and then beheading them and setting their bodies alight in the street.

Pillay, 59, was charged with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition last year after a raid on his home in April.

He was hugely popular in the area because he was engaged in what one neighbour referred to as ‘Robin Hood’ activities, always assisting the community members, even if it was from alleged illicit earnings.

The police and private security officers, who responded to the scene, were shot at by the community members who stopped them getting closer, police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said.

Later, the Public Order Policing Unit was called in to disperse the crowd.

The situation in the area was tense.

The area has been embroiled in a drug turf war, with several murders in the past 10 months, including that of Pillay’s 32-year-old son. PTI