A newspaper delivery staffer found a pair of severed human-like hands, cut at the forearms, wrapped in a blood-stained white cloth on Oregan Street in Trenance Park, Verulam.
The staff member discovered them near the boundary wall of a primary school and alerted Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA).
The witness said the objects appeared to be either animal or human body parts.
When RUSA officers arrived, they confirmed the limbs looked like severed human hands.
Officers also found what appeared to be an animal tongue nearby. The scene was close to a busy residential area, which heightened public alarm.
Police Investigation
RUSA cordoned off the area and secured the scene while searching the surroundings for a possible body or other remains.
They carefully packaged the hands and handed control of the scene to the South African Police Service (SAPS) from Verulam.
SAPS transported the hands to the eThekwini District Medico Legal Mortuary for analysis.
Confirmed as Rubber Props
The Medico Legal Laboratory in Phoenix later confirmed that the severed hands were not human remains but realistic rubber props designed to look like body parts.
Should people face consequences for leaving realistic fake body parts in public and scaring others?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
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