Daring thieves dig grave, steal body of a man buried a year ago

Police in South Africa have launched investigations into an incident where thieves stole a corpse from a grave in Limpopo Province.

The family of one Modike Philemon Masedi discovered that the body of their loved one was missing on Monday, February 6 as they were preparing to unveil a tombstone at the gravesite.

Masedi died on January 15 last year and was buried seven days later.

Confirming the incident, Police spokesperson Motlafela Mojapelo says officers are yet to identify the suspects nor the motive behind the incident.

"Upon arriving at the scene, police were met by the unusual sight of the violated grave having a hole and an open coffin with no corpse inside.

"Preliminary probe conducted at the scene established that the suspects accessed the graveyard by cutting the side fence. They then dug a hole next to the grave, accessed the coffin, and stole the corpse The motive for this incident is unknown at this stag," Mojapelo said.