Marc Batchelor murder: Case takes a bizarre twist following cell phone “theft”

One week after former Bafana Bafana ace Marc Batchelor was gunned down in mysterious circumstances, the investigation into his death has delved into a murky underworld of drugs and debt collection. However, it has since emerged that the victim’s cell phone is at the centre of a bizarre subplot in the case.

What was on Marc Batchelor’s cell phone?

As TimesLive reported over the weekend, a private investigator into the apparent gangland hit was nabbed for taking Batchelor’s phone from the scene of the crime, just minutes after he was shot dead. The accused has since been released by the authorities, but they had discovered a trove of information was wiped from the phone.

The “shredded data” could likely have held the key to solving this perplexing crime. Although the investigator was due to appear in the dock this week, he never arrived at the Randburg Magistrate’s Court, and the case has not yet been added to the roll.

All the hallmarks of a hit

However, there is some good news in the battle to piece together this puzzle. It’s understood forensic experts have recovered some of the information that was deleted from the device. Police are now continuing to investigate Marc Batchelor’s mob connection, which they suspected from the manner of his death:

• We know that the suspects did not take anything from Marc Batchelor’s car.
• They fired a total of seven shots through the window.
• They did not harm the gardener and solely targeted Batchelor.
• The assailants were not driving the bikes, but they were riding on the back – this could widen the scope of the investigation, to try and find four suspects.

Marc Batchelor, Serbian gangs and drugs

Marc Batchelor’s murder bore the markings of a hit that one could associate with the Serbian organised crime underworld in Johannesburg. The modus operandi involving gunmen travelling on motorbikes has been seen before.

George Mihaljevic is a well-renowned Serbian mobster with ties to Czech crime lord, Radovan Krejcir. In September 2018, the 43-year-old was gunned down in Bedfordview, Ekurhuleni, in a similar fashion. However, the connection to gang activity doesn’t just end there for the former Pirates and Chiefs superstar.

Batchelor is also accused of “stealing” a huge shipment of cocaine which landed in South Africa last month. The gear allegedly belonged to the Serbian network and pinching their nose powder is akin to signing your own death warrant. Authorities continue to look at all possible angles, in a case that is proving to be stranger than fiction.