South Africa Johannesburg IPID Stock Independent Police Investigative Directorate -IPID. Picture: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
The Independent Directorate (ID) finds itself at the centre of a disturbing public spotlight once more. A 48-year-old secretary associated with the former head of police supply chain, Brigadier James Ramanjalum, has come forward with alarming allegations of torture and abuse against investigators linked to the ID's special unit.
In a sworn affidavit, the secretary, who wishes to remain anonymous for her safety, implicated senior investigator Dylan Perumal and colleague Suneel Bellochun in her harrowing account of maltreatment.
She detailed a series of abusive interactions, asserting that Bellochun hurled insults and pressured her regarding the private affairs of Brigadier Ramanjalum.
Describing a particularly aggressive instance, the secretary recounted,
“While he was writing a statement, he asked me about the submissions that are normally coming from BAC for final approval.”
She further elaborated on how Bellochun demanded she link a police officer, Marcel Marney, with Ramanjalum, making the atmosphere more reminiscent of interrogation than a standard investigation.
“He kept insisting on personal questions, including whether Brigadier Ramanjalum was involved with a girlfriend at SAPS and whether they frequented the gym together,” she added.
The investigator’s insistence on these matters left her bewildered and questioning the relevance of such inquiries to the ongoing investigation.
In a distressing revelation, she disclosed that Perumal and Bellochun coerced her into signing a statement she had not read, denying her the opportunity to clarify essential details.
“I asked the arrogant team member whom I can identify (an Indian male), how I could sign a statement without all the details that I was asked for, and he forced me to sign that statement,” she recounted, visibly shaken by the entire experience.
Henry Mamothame, spokesperson for the Independent Directorate, responded to the allegations with apparent dismissal, stating that no formal complaints had been lodged regarding the two investigators.
“Please note that no such complaints have been lodged with the ID/NPA, therefore IDAC cannot comment on the assumptions and conclusions drawn without a complaint,” Mamothame asserted.
This report adds another layer to the troubling narrative surrounding Perumal and Bellochun; last week, it emerged that both investigators were evading legal accountability by refusing to provide statements to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) in connection with separate allegations brought forth by Lorretta Joubert.
Joubert alleges that during the execution of a search warrant, she was assaulted by the two officers and subsequently treated brutally at the Opera Plaza building in Pretoria. In her written correspondence to National Police Commissioner Fanie Masemola and Parliament, she expressed the psychological toll the encounter had taken on her, admitting to recurrent suicidal thoughts stemming from her experience with the ID investigators.
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