Bharath Lutchman whose charred remains were found in the vehicle of a businessman accused of faking his death was burnt alive.

Durban man whose charred remains were found in the vehicle of a businessman accused of faking his death was burnt alive.This startling evidence about Bharath Lutchman’s gruesome death two weeks ago emerged during the bail application of Sundraganen “Rajen” Chetty, 44, and his co-accused, Dayalan Reddy, 29, in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Friday.They are charged with murder and defeating the ends of justice.Chetty is accused of faking his death by burning a man so that he could cash in on a multimillion-rand life insurance policy.Chetty, who owns Navy Mutton Market in Merebank, and Reddy, a relative, were arrested two weeks ago.Lutchman’s emotional family and friends hurled abuse at the accused after the investigating officer, Inspector Ramesh Ramdeen, had revealed that the 57-year-old man was burnt alive.Members of the Merebank community staged a placard demonstration opposing the men’s bid for bail. One placard read “R3-million for one innocent life”.
Magistrate Verushka Jamuna instructed court orderlies to remove some of Lutchman’s friends and relatives after they had made abusive comments about the accused and their defence.Ramdeen said Reddy had gone to the Pinetown police station to identify the body and had confirmed that it was his cousin, Chetty.However, the pathologist on duty was not satisfied with the identification and the family were called back for questioning.“Investigations revealed that he [Chetty] was alive, and we arrested him.”Ramdeen said the accused “acted in a pre-planned manner to commit the heinous act for enrichment and financial gain”.Investigations into Chetty’s financial affairs also revealed that his business was “suffering”.“This put him under pressure for providing for his family. We are of the view that he manipulated people and persons to carry out the act,” said Ramdeen.The court also heard that further investigations led police to believe that Chetty was “considerably insured”.Ramdeen said an insurance claim was made telephonically “before the body was even released”.
He opposed the bail application after receiving calls threatening the lives of Chetty, Reddy and their families.He also disclosed that Chetty, whom he described as a “deceptive person”, was an “established gambler” who played roulette and poker and “would bet R50000 at a time”.Chetty’s advocate, Ryan Naidu, said the state’s case was based on circumstantial evidence.He also said the threatening calls received by Ramdeen had not been acted upon.The bail application is expected to continue tomorrow.On Thursday, about 40 mourners gathered in the Merebank Community Hall to bid farewell to Lutchman. Akesh Thotharam, Lutchman’s nephew, said his uncle’s tattoos had helped him identify his charred remains.“He was the kind of guy anyone could get along with. He was fun, loving and pleasant. He always had a smile on his face,” he said