Millionaire arrested over the honeymoon murder of his bride after taxi driver claims he was paid £1,400 to set up 'hit'

By Dan Newling and Tom Kelly
Last updated at 6:54 AM on 8th December 2010

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Shrien Dewani accused of hiring two hitmen to target his wife Anni
Taxi driver sentenced to 18 years for his part in the murder

A newlywed accused of paying hitmen £1,400 to have his bride kidnapped, robbed and murdered on their honeymoon in South Africa was arrested last night.

Millionaire businessman Shrien Dewani was held under a South African warrant on suspicion of conspiring to murder wife Anni.

The 30-year-old from Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, was accused in a court in the country yesterday of ordering her death by taxi driver Zola Tongo, who was sentenced for his part in the killing.

The Dewanis had been married two weeks when she was murdered

Mr Dewani surrendered himself at a police station in Bristol yesterday.

The Met Police said he was arrested under a warrant issued at the request of the South African authorities. He will appear before City of Westminster magistrates today.

Earlier, the Dewani family described the allegation as ‘ludicrous’.

Mrs Dewani, 28, was shot dead after two gunmen ambushed Tongo’s cab near Cape Town as he drove the newlyweds on a tour to see the ‘real Africa’.

After the attack on November 13, Mr Dewani told how he was devastated.

But yesterday there were gasps in the public gallery as Cape Town’s High Court heard Tongo’s sensational claim, as public prosecutors outlined a plea bargain by the driver that has seen him jailed for 18 years, reduced from a likely 25 years.

Vinod Hindocha Dewani, Anni's father, wept in the court on Tuesday as he clutched a photo of his murdered daughter

Public relations guru Max Clifford, who has been hired by the 30-year-old businessman as his spokesman, said yesterday that Mr Dewani was devastated by the allegations which should be treated with ‘contempt’ as they came from a self-confessed murderer.

He said: ‘Shrien is totally innocent of any involvement in this heinous crime. These allegations are totally ludicrous and very hurtful to a young man who is grieving the loss of the woman he loved, his chosen life partner.

‘South African police have never sought to speak to Shrien regarding the allegations. Instead, two weeks have been spent negotiating this confession from the taxi driver while the two others accused have complained of torture and false confessions.’

In a confession read to the hearing, Tongo claimed that after the Dewanis arrived in Cape Town on November 12 he drove them from the airport to the city’s five-star Cape Grace hotel.

He said: ‘After we arrived at the hotel, Shrien Dewani approached me alone and asked me if I knew anyone that could “have a client of his taken off the scene”. After some discussion with him, I understood that he wanted someone, a woman, killed.

‘We would make it appear as if we were the victims of a random armed hijacking of my motor vehicle, committed with a firearm. The hijacking would be simulated.

Allegations: Taxi driver Zola Tongo at the South African court yesterday

Zola Tongo hid his face as he was lead up from the holding cells to attend the court session, in which the prosecutor claimed Shrien Dewani paid the cab driver to murder his wife Anni on the pair's South African honeymoon

‘The kidnapping and robbery were part of the plan to make it appear that this was a random criminal act, unconnected to Shrien Dewani.

‘He said he was willing to pay an amount of 15,000 rand (£1,400).’

The taxi driver said he spoke to a friend about arranging a hitman and was put in touch with Xolile Mngeni, 23, and Mziwamadoda Qwabe, 25, whom he met the following day to plot the murder. He said he then picked up Mr and Mrs Dewani at the hotel that night and took them to some ‘city sights’ and to a restaurant.

The Dewanis, who had been married for two weeks, were hijacked on November 13 on the way back to their five-star hotel in central Cape Town

‘Prior to entering the restaurant, Shrien Dewani asked me what was happening and said he wanted the job done that night,’ he said.

After the gunmen told him they were ready, he said he took the couple to the prearranged ‘hijack spot’, an intersection in the impoverished Gugulethu township.

The gunmen then approached the stationary taxi, he said, adding: ‘The Dewanis were made to lie down on the back seat and Qwabe drove off.

‘Qwabe travelled for a short distance before he stopped near the police barracks in Gugulethu, where I was ordered to get out of the vehicle.

‘I knew that Mngeni and Qwabe would not harm Shrien Dewani and that he would be dropped off at some further point. I also knew that the deceased would be kidnapped, robbed and murdered by Qwabe and Mngeni.’

Tongo claimed he sent a text message to Mr Dewani as they drove through Cape Town, reminding him not to forget about the money. A reply allegedly informed him this was stashed in an envelope behind the front passenger seat.

Tongo stood with his eyes lowered and shielding his face from cameras during the hearing, speaking only to confirm that he understood the confession.

Mrs Dewani’s father Vinod Hindocha, 61, who lives in Sweden, sat in court sobbing and clutching a photo of her as the allegations against his son-in-law were read.

Friends of Mr Dewani have said that he is being ‘stitched up’ by a South African police force desperate to improve the country’s crime-ridden reputation.

Mngeni, 23, and Qwabe, 25, will remain in custody until February, when they will face charges of murder, aggravated robbery and kidnapping.

The car in which Anni Dewani was found murdered is towed from the crime scene last month