 |
| The 'Facebook Rapist' who managed to escape from jail by faking his own suicide |
A murder and rape convict who managed to escape from a South African prison by faking his own death has been arrested in Tanzania.
Thibaut Bester had been on the run for a year. Authorities believed that he had committed suicide by setting himself on fire in prison.
However, a new post-mortem investigation last month revealed that the body found in the prison belonged to someone else. A search was then launched for Thibaut Bester.
Bester was arrested along with his girlfriend on Friday. Now they will be transferred to South Africa.
Another accused was also present with him. Police believe the three were preparing to flee to Kenya.
Bester is also known as the 'Facebook Rapist' as he used to commit crimes through social media platforms.
In 2012, Bester was convicted of the rape and murder of his model girlfriend. A year earlier, he was convicted in the case of the rape and robbery of two more women.
In May, it was reported that he had set himself on fire in prison and that his body had been found.
However, local media started raising questions about Bester's suicide last year.
In March, local police launched a new investigation after it was discovered that the victim was someone else who had suffered a deep head injury.
The security of the prison in which Bister was imprisoned is with the British company G4S. Employees of this company are accused of helping Bester to escape.
The company says it has fired three people involved in the incident.
The BBC contacted the company but did not receive a response.
In the past year, there have been several reports about Bester, with one claiming that he is still in South Africa and has been seen shopping in Johannesburg, where he lives in a mansion.
The news of Bester's escape created a storm in South Africa. Remember that South Africa is one of the countries where the cases of sexual harassment are the highest in the world.