South Africa Busts 3 in One of Its 9 Unsolved Killings

Police in South Africa said Monday they have arrested three suspects in connection with one of a series of killings of women in the same area on the outskirts of Johannesburg. The nine killings of women in their 20s and 30s in the municipality of Ekurhuleni over the last two months triggered anger in South Africa, which has high rates of violence against women, reports the AP. Police have been investigating whether the killings were connected, raising fears that a serial killer or killers might be operating in the area. The suspects, two women and a man, were expected to appear in court later Monday. They were arrested in relation to the killing of Jabulile Ntimba, who the BBC reports was found last Thursday in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, wrapped in a sheet. However, investigators didn't link the suspects to the eight other killings.

Authorities have said they are not certain that all the killings are connected, though they said they have identified similarities in some of them and have issued an alert for women in Ekurhuleni to take precautions. Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said Sunday that so far there was no conclusive evidence that the killings were carried out by a serial killer, "but nothing has yet been excluded while investigations continue." The bodies of six of the victims were found in the space of 10 days this month. Four of the nine victims were discovered within approximately 3.7 miles of each other. Several of the bodies were discovered in open areas near main roads.