Anand (Gujarat): Family of Virendra Patel, an Indian national murdered in South Africa on Monday appealed to authorities to return his body.Patel, 40, was murdered by unknown assailants on Saturday.
The assailants entered his shop in Pretoria town, bound him to a chair and slit his throat. He was a native of Anand, Gujarat.As per reports, Patel was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to death.
Though the identity of the killers remains unknown, Patel`s mother claimed that the attackers were Pakistani."My son was living in South Africa for 15 years. He also had a shop there. Some Pakistani men broke into his shop, tied him and slit his throat," said Patel`s mother, Meena Patel is survived by two children. He was separated from his wife, a South African, around three years ago.
The family has also sought help from the Gujarati community in South Africa to help get the body back."We have contacted a Gujarati Trust there to help bring the body back.
We have requested them and they have started the procedure. But it has been delayed," said Patel`s uncle, Brigesh. Brigesh has also appealed to the Indian government to ensure attacks on Gujarati people were stopped.
As per reports, a man from Gujarat`s Valsad district was killed in South Africa in May this year and there have been nine other attacks on Gujaratis in other countries including the US.
