Reformed dealer savagely slain
Convicted drug dealer Rakesh Sukdeo's new life on the straight and narrow came to an abrupt end when the father of two was shot and hacked in his home.
|||Durban - Truck driver Rakesh Sukdeo was a convicted drug dealer who had turned over a new leaf, shunning those who wanted him back in the drug trade, his family say.
But his new life on the straight and narrow was short-lived. On Friday night the 38-year-old father of two was shot and hacked with a chopper in his home in Shallcross. He died the next morning at RK Khan Hospital.
His attackers are believed to have been eight gangsters and known drug dealers.
His uncle, Richard Sookraj, said Sukdeo had been alone at home when the attack occurred. His wife Hannah, 21, children Gerald, 5, and Isiah, 3, and father-in-law Raja Pillay were spending the Easter weekend with relatives.
“Rakesh was not feeling well and was lying on the couch watching TV when eight men in an SUV jumped out, surrounded the flat and opened fire.”
He said that from the kitchen to the bathroom and lounge, the house was riddled with bullets.
“The men shot at the door and gained entry into the house. Rakesh was shot in the arm and leg. He was dragged to a passage near the bathroom then hacked on the head with an axe or chopper and left for dead.”
Sookraj said that an hour after the men had fled, his wife received a call from a neighbour informing her of the shooting. In minutes Hannah arrived at the house with another relative, to find her husband unconscious in a pool of blood.
“They were frantic.”
Sookraj said his relative was a drug dealer but after being arrested about three years ago and receiving a five-year suspended sentence, he turned his life around.
“He was worried about his children’s safety and did not want to go to jail. He converted to Christianity and started working as a truck driver. We were so proud of him because he was trying to get his life in order.”
About two weeks before the attack the same men had come to his relative’s home accusing Sukdeo of selling cocaine, he said. They were angry, but left.
“Days later they came back looking for Rakesh, only to be confronted by his father-in-law. An argument ensued... The men pulled out a gun and started firing. They threatened to kill the entire family.”
Sookraj said Sukdeo did not think they would actually go through with it.
At his funeral on Monday, family members, concerned about safety, surrounded the tent, armed with guns.
“While we are mourning the loss of Rakesh, we are thankful the rest of the family was not home that day. Now we have to take every precaution to make sure they are safe,” said Sookraj.
He described the men as ruthless and callous.
“They are taking advantage of the people living in this neighbourhood and people are too scared to report them.”
Sookraj said Hannah and the children were finding it difficult to cope with their loss.
“We are trying our best to support her and will be looking at taking her for trauma counselling.”
Police spokeswoman Lieutenant Nqobile Gwala confirmed that a case of murder was being investigated by the Chatsworth SAPS. She said no arrests had been made.
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