A Durban man has pleaded guilty to masterminding a violent plot to kill his wife, who miraculously survived after being strangled with a rope and later jumping out of a moving vehicle to escape.
Ramith Aneerudh, 38, of Newlands West, admitted in the Umbumbulu Regional Court to conspiring with his co-accused Deon Tyler Naidu, 47, of Umzinto, and Kyle Goldstone, 38, of Ifafa to murder his wife, 35-year-old beauty therapist Sarika Bridgmohan.
All three men were charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and theft.
Aneerudh and Goldstone were arrested in Coffee Bay in the Eastern Cape on 16 April last year after Bridgmohan contacted Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) for help. RUSA recovered her vehicle at a property in Umzinto. Naidu was taken into custody by police a week later.
Last Friday, Aneerudh pleaded guilty to all charges. Goldstone and Naidu have entered not-guilty pleas. In his plea statement, read by attorney Ashwin Rughbeer, Aneerudh admitted that he and his wife had been living at the Coastlands Hotel in Musgrave for two years. On 13 March last year, he drove her to a park in Winkelspruit under the guise of collecting property documents from a lawyer.
He met with his co-accused at the park. After handing Goldstone R1 000, the men forcibly removed Bridgmohan from her vehicle. Aneerudh took her handbag and phone, checking whether she had shared her location.
Naidu attempted to force her into his car, but she resisted. Goldstone then tightened a rope around her neck until she lost consciousness, after which she was placed in the front seat of the vehicle.
Aneerudh drove off to Ifafa while the others transported the unconscious woman to a secluded spot near the Umgababa river. On their way to refill fuel, Bridgmohan regained consciousness, opened the car door, and leapt out of the moving vehicle. She signalled a passing motorist for help, prompting the suspects to flee.
The men regrouped and fled to the Eastern Cape, where two were later arrested.
Aneerudh admitted the trio knew each other well, often going on fishing trips together. He said the plan to kidnap and murder his wife was arranged well in advance.
Bridgmohan said Aneerudh’s guilty plea brought a measure of relief but could not erase the trauma.
“He finally acknowledged what he had done, but it took more than a year,” she said. “This ordeal has changed my life forever. There was a time when fear completely consumed me. I am grateful for my family and friends without them, I don’t know how I would have survived.”
She said the sentence should send a strong message.
“Trying to take someone’s life is not a minor offence. He planned it, so he deserves a life sentence.”
Sentencing proceedings are expected to begin next year.