Dad out to prove he didn’t kill daughter

Seven years after he was suspected of killing his 10-year-old daughter, a Benoni father’s quest to clear his name finally took a step closer when police agreed to re-open the investigation.

Lings Naidoo, 49, was left distraught when his daughter, Merissa was abducted from Benoni Primary School in 2005.

His worse fears were realised when Merissa’s lifeless body was found on a balcony of the seedy Radio City building in the Benoni CBD.

Merissa had been drugged, strangled and stuffed into a suitcase before her body was found three days after she went missing.

Naidoo’s tragedy soon turned into a nightmare when police fingered him as a prime suspect.

“There were no investigations done at the time. The school should have been the first place to investigate because they allowed my daughter to leave with someone who claimed to be her uncle.

“Obviously there was some sort of cover-up taking place to protect the school.

“She was in her class at the time and the school allowed her to leave with this stranger,” said Naidoo.

Naidoo, a prominent businessman, claimed he was subjected to police questioning and even underwent a polygraph test.

He added when investigations ceased due to a lack of evidence, he took it upon himself to try and track down his daughter’s killers and clear his name.

“I found numerous flaws in the police work done at the time. There were just so many questions that were left unanswered which I had to uncover on my own. I was not given a chance to mourn the loss of my daughter because of the allegations against me. It was a living hell,” said Naidoo.

According to police, certain leads pertaining to the case were not followed.

“The investigation has been reopened following a complaint from Mr Naidoo. The provincial office detectives are investigating the case as well as the allegations made.

“Mr Naidoo has made contact with the office of Major-General Mosikili and is being assisted. There were some leads that were not properly followed initially and that is being corrected,” said Lieutenant Colonel Katlego Mogale.

Naidoo said he welcomed the intervention from the provincial police department and he was still determined to find his daughters killers.

“We want justice. The perpetrators must be brought to book and they must pay for what they have done. There are so many things in this case that don’t make sense.

“We have not had a chance to get closure because we know that these criminals are out there somewhere,” said Naidoo. - The Post