Casefile True Crime - Case 153: Anni Hindocha

Episode Date: August 15, 2020

Newlyweds Anni Hindocha and Shrien Dewani were looking forward to celebrating their honeymoon in South Africa. After a traditional wedding in India, they set off for a luxury stay at Kruger National Park before making their way to Cape Town. --- Episode narrated by the Anonymous Host Researched by Holly Boyd Written by Erin Munro Creative Director: Milly Raso For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-153-anni-hindocha

Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. In the late 2000s, life was going well for 27-year-old Annie Hindutcher. The engineering graduate had a good job in Stockholm at the headquarters of multinational telecommunications company Ericsson and had recently purchased her own apartment with some help from her parents.

Annie's close-knit Hindu family were of Indian heritage and had immigrated to the southern Swedish town of Marriastod before she was born. Although Annie had moved away, she returned to her family home often, maintaining a close relationship with her father, mother, older sister and younger brother. In 2009, Annie's aunt, who was the family's expert matchmaker, introduced her to a young man named Shreyan Dawani. 29-year-old Shreyan was two years older than Annie and was from the English city of Bristol. Like Annie, he had Hindu parents and was one of three children with an older brother and

a younger sister. Shreyan had an economics degree from Manchester University and worked for his family's successful business running nursing homes throughout England's west country. Although Annie and Shreyan lived in different countries, they soon struck up a long-distance friendship. During a visit to London, Annie went on her first date with Shreyan. They attended a West End performance of The Lion King before having dinner at an upmarket fusion restaurant.

The couple had a wonderful time, with Shreyan particularly liking the way Annie made him laugh. Despite the long distance, their relationship blossomed over time. In February 2010, Annie decided to relocate to the United Kingdom, a move that would help develop her connection with Shreyan. Her father Vinod and mother Nalaam gave her their blessing. Annie quit her job at Ericsson, and on March 1, she moved in with her cousin in Luton, a large town about 50km northwest of London.

Shortly after the move, Annie called her parents to announce that things were going well with her and Shreyan, and that she had been welcomed by his family. Several weeks later, Vinod and Nalaam travelled to the UK to meet Shreyan's parents. It was a whirlwind visit that included afternoon tea, a tour of Bristol, and dinner at an Indian restaurant. By the end of the evening, everyone agreed that the meeting had gone well. On June 10, Shreyan took Annie to Paris on a private jet. After gifting Annie a design address and Christian Dior shoes, Shreyan took her out for dinner

at the Ritz Hotel. Instead of dessert, Annie was presented with a diamond engagement ring worth £25,000. The couple began planning their wedding. They initially wanted to get married in Dubai, but after an impromptu visit to India, they fell in love with Mumbai and decided to have the wedding there instead. Annie and Shreyan planned to have four traditional Hindu ceremonies, but because these wouldn't be legally binding, they would make the marriage official at a UK registry office after their honeymoon.

On Thursday October 28, 2010, the wedding festivities began at Mumbai's Renaissance Hotel. The lavish celebrations lasted for three days, costing the Hindocha and Diwani families around £200,000 altogether. The wedding concluded on Saturday October 30, with a reception held by the Diwani's. Those captured the newlyweds beaming, with Annie dressed in a blue and green saree, and Shreyan wearing a silver outfit with a scarf that complimented his bride's clothing. After the reception, the couple farewelled their loved ones, with Annie and her family weeping as they said their goodbyes.

Shreyan had intended for their honeymoon destination to be a surprise, but before he could tell Annie where they were going, his mother let it slip, that he had booked a trip to South Africa. Annie and Shreyan arrived in South Africa on Tuesday November 9, 2010, and immediately travelled to the Chitwad Chitwad Game Lodge, a luxury five-star resort located inside Kruger National Park. The couple spent three days visiting the park's feigned sites and animals. On Friday November 12, Annie and Shreyan caught a flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town, where

they would spend the remainder of their holiday. Cape Town is the second largest city in South Africa, located on a peninsula in the country's southwestern corner. Today, it's known for its busy harbour, white sand beaches, and the imposing table mountain that looms nearby. Capetowns can ride cable cars to the top of the mountain, or travel a short distance to visit the world-famous wineries just outside of the city. Despite Cape Town's natural beauty and popularity with wealthy travellers, it has a complicated

history and is also home to significant poverty and inequality. As a result of the Group Areas Act of 1950, non-white citizens of South Africa were prohibited from living in the municipal limits of any of the country's cities. All people of colour in Cape Town were forced out of the city's established neighbourhoods on the slopes of Table Mountain and into the Cape Flats, a sandy, barren stretch of land on the city's outskirts, where they established their own makeshift townships. Some managed to build themselves brick bungalows on the tiny plots, but most residents who lived below the poverty line were forced to live in densely packed squatter camps that

lacked electricity, running water, or sewage systems. Over the years, the Cape Flats population grew beyond that inside Cape Town's municipal city limits, and the area gained notoriety for being the dumping ground of the apartheid. When the South African apartheid ended in the early 1990s, residents of the Cape Flats were no longer restricted by segregation laws, but many remained bound to the area by language, history, economics, and ethnic politics. Cape Town's international airport is located in the middle of the Cape Flats. Visitors to the city travel along the N2 Highway, which passes by the sprawling shanty township

to reach Cape Town's wealthy centre. Upon arriving at Cape Town Airport, Annie and Shreyaan exited the arrivals hall to look for a taxi to take them to their accommodation, the Cape Grace Hotel. Shreyaan found a friendly young taxi driver named Zola Tongo, who worked full-time as a limousine driver for a local tour company, but used his own vehicle to shuttle passengers in his spare time. Tongo loaded the newlyweds and to their luggage into his grey Volkswagen Charan minivan and drove them the 20-minute journey to their hotel.

There, he gave them his phone number in case they wanted to use his services again. After checking in, Shreyaan and Annie had a drink at the hotel bar, followed by dinner at a fancy restaurant located a short walk away. The next day, they spent most of their time relaxing by the hotel pool, before getting ready for dinner at 96 Winery Road, an upmarket restaurant located in the Helderberg Valley Wine Region, about 50 kilometres east of Cape Town. Shreyaan called taxi driver Zola Tongo, whom the couple had liked, to arrange for him to take them to dinner.

Annie dressed up for the occasion, wearing a black dress, a shawl, and black and silver high heels. She carried her blackberry phone in a small purse and wore a Giorgio Armani wristwatch, a white gold and diamond bracelet, and her diamond engagement ring. Shreyaan dressed in a dark suit with a white shirt. Tongo collected the couple and took them on a brief tour of the city at night, before heading on to the Yentu Highway towards the 96 Winery Road restaurant. As they drove, Annie and Shreyaan decided they didn't feel like eating a large, lavish

meal, so Tongo suggested they try the Surfside Restaurant, an Asian-inspired eatery in the nearby beach resort town of Strand. The couple agreed, and Tongo dropped them there at 9.30pm. Annie and Shreyaan dined on curry and sushi, with Shreyaan calling Tongo half an hour later to request a pick-up in 20 minutes. By 10.15pm, the couple were back in Tongo's minivan, returning to Cape Town along the Yentu Highway. Approximately one hour later, at 11.12pm, a 33-year-old government employee named Simbo

Nile Madagazi was returning to his home near the Cape Flats township of Kailicha. Simbo Nile had driven a friend to the airport and was pulling into his garage when he noticed a stranger dressed neatly in a dark suit, standing on his doorstep. As visitors to the area were rare, Simbo Nile was baffled by the man's presence. The stranger approached Simbo Nile and said, Excuse me, is there a nearby police station where I can report a hijack, because my wife and I were hijacked? The man identified himself as Shreyaan Dawani, and Simbo Nile placed a call to the police

on his behalf. As Simbo Nile spoke to the dispatcher, he asked Shreyaan for further information, such as the location of the vehicle and its make and model. Shreyaan was unable to provide any answers. He paced back and forth outside Simbo Nile's garage, crying softly until the police arrived 15 minutes later. Shreyaan regained his composure and explained that his wife had suggested taking a detour through the Cape Flats, as the area around their hotel felt too similar to her home in

Sweden and she wanted to see, quote, the real Africa. The tourism industry offered visitors official township tours through Guguletu, the largest of the Cape Flats townships. Accompanied by a guide, tourists would meet locals, see historical sites, and eat at a barbecue shack named Mazzoli's, which was made famous in 2009 when celebrity chef Jamie Oliver dined there and described the food as heaven. Tours of Guguletu only operated during the day, as the area was plagued by violent crimes at night, including rapes, assaults, carjackings, home invasions, and murders, which occurred

approximately every two and a half days. Despite this, the daytime tours were considered safe, as no major crimes had ever been committed against tourists. Although the area was known to be dangerous after dark, Annie and Shreyaan's taxi driver had agreed to take them on a late night tour of Guguletu. According to Shreyaan, as they were passing the international airport, Tongos minivan exited the N2 highway, first turning left, and then turning right onto Clipfontein Road, one of the main thoroughfares through the Guguletu township.

They then drove past the Guguletu cemetery before making a few turns to drive past Mazzoli's, the barbecue restaurant made famous by Jamie Oliver. At that point, it was almost 11pm, and the streets were quiet. Then, just as Tongo was about to turn right back onto Clipfontein Road, a man leapt out and violently banged a handgun against the minivan windscreen. Another man suddenly opened the driver's door and forced Tongo out of the vehicle and into the back, where the couple were sitting. The man then jumped behind the wheel, while the carjacker with the gun took the front

passenger seat. As they sped off down the road, Annie began to scream and cry. Shreyaan attempted to shield her with his body, but the gun-wielding carjacker pressed the weapon against Shreyaan's temple and stole his watch, which was valued at £2,000. The gun also handed over between 5,000 and 6,000 South African rand in cash, or the equivalent of $4,500 Australian dollars. Annie was forced to hand over her Giorgio Armani watch and white gold diamond bracelet. After handing over their valuables, Shreyaan begged the carjackers to let him and his wife

go. A distraught Annie spoke in the Indian language of Gujarati to let him know that she had hidden her engagement and wedding rings. Shreyaan attempted to hide his mobile phone in his trousers so he could later call for help, but one of the carjackers noticed and confiscated the device. The carjacker then held his gun to Shreyaan's temple and stated, Lie to me again, and I will kill you both. The driver continued north for several minutes before pulling over to the side of the road

and forcing Tongo out of the van. With the newlyweds still inside, the driver then continued down the street at high speed, smashing over speed bumps and swerving erratically. After faster he drove, the louder Annie screamed. The carjackers took Annie and Shreyaan back on to the N2 highway and headed away from Cape Town, deeper into the Cape Flats. After about seven minutes, they exited the highway at Barton Powell Drive and headed into the Kailisha township.

The armed carjacker continued to press his weapon against Shreyaan's head, but assured him they had no intention of harming the couple and only wanted the minivan. Shreyaan clung to Annie and repeatedly begged to be released. Approximately 20 minutes after the carjackers had thrown Tongo out of the van, Shreyaan was forced at gunpoint to climb out the back passenger window of the moving vehicle, leaving his wife behind. He found himself nearly 20 kilometers from where Tongo had been ejected. Shreyaan stumbled along for about 300 meters until he came to an intersection.

The streets were quiet, so he knocked on doors looking for help, which is when he encountered Symbolnile Matacazi. Shreyaan was driven back to the Cape Grace Hotel by the police while a search was initiated for the minivan. At the hotel, Shreyaan phoned his family in the UK to inform them what had happened and that Annie was still missing. Soon after, another police car arrived at the hotel carrying Tongo. The carjackers had left the taxi driver approximately one kilometer from the Gugoletu police station

and he had made his way there on foot to report the carjacking. Tongo told police he couldn't remember the names of his passengers but knew they were staying at the Cape Grace Hotel, so the officers had driven him there in a bid to find out more information. Shortly after midnight on Sunday, November 14, Shreyaan's father, Prakash Dawani, called the Hindocha household in Sweden to inform them what had happened. Annie's father, Vanod, asked for more information but Prakash said he knew nothing else and would call back when he did.

Through tears, Annie's mother, Nalaam, told her husband, Annie is never coming back. Vanod immediately began making plans to travel to Cape Town. He was looking into flights when Shreyaan called, sobbing as he told his father-in-law, sorry dad, I could not take care of your daughter. This was followed by another call from Shreyaan's father, telling Vanod he had found flights leaving from Amsterdam to Cape Town later that morning. Both men planned to fly to Amsterdam and then board the flight to Cape Town together. At 6am, Vanod boarded a two-hour flight to Amsterdam from the Swedish city of Gothenburg.

This was incredibly difficult for him as he was out of contact with his family for the entire duration. When Vinod finally landed in Amsterdam, he found a payphone and called his brother Ashok. He heard crying and wailing, followed by Ashok stating, they shot Annie. Earlier that morning in Cape Town, the police had received a call from a resident of the Lita Park Township, not far from where Shreyaan had been forced to exit the minivan. The resident had noticed a grey, Volkswagen minivan parked adjacent to an empty, weed-covered field.

The vehicle was an unusual sight in the area and curious neighbors had peered through the windows and noticed there was a body inside. At 8am, police had arrived at the scene and immediately noticed that blood had seeped out of the rear right-hand door of the minivan and was pulling on the asphalt below. They opened the door and found Annie Hindoch's body sprawled on her back across the bloodstained back seat with what appeared to be a bullet wound in her neck. A bullet was lodged in the back of the rear right seat and gunpowder residue was found in various parts of the minivan.

Beneath Annie's body, officers found her wedding and engagement rings stuffed into the small gap between the seats. Annie had been killed by a single gunshot fired at close range, between 5 and 10cm away. The bullet had entered Annie's neck and had grazed her hand along the way, indicating she had been in a defensive position at the time of her death. Although there were no signs of sexual assault, marks from someone's right hand were found on her lower left leg. A pathologist report concluded that Annie's death had occurred in a matter of heartbeats.

A 21-year-old student who lived less than 100 metres from the spot where Annie's body was discovered, later came forward to contradict the findings that Annie hadn't been sexually assaulted. She said she had gone to look at the minivan when the police arrived and had been standing just 5 metres away when officers opened the vehicle door. The student claimed that Annie's head was by the door and her knees were bent up with both legs apart. Her dress appeared to have been pulled up around her waist and her underwear had been

dragged down below her knees. The student told the Telegraph newspaper, quote, It looked to me very strongly that they had done something to her. I couldn't say if they raped her, but she had definitely been attacked. That I am sure about. Cape Town police denied that Annie had been found in such a state. The crime was described by Cape Town's mayor as a blow to all Cape Tonians and South Africans, while tourism officials urged visitors to be vigilant and only travel with tour guides.

Local taxi drivers queried why Zola Tongo had taken his passengers to such a dangerous part of the city so late at night, with one telling the media, It is a dangerous place at night and every driver would know. Did he get lost? As if he was, it was the wrong place to be. Annie's father, Vinod, and father-in-law, Prakash, arrived in Cape Town at 9pm on the day her body was found, with Vinod having cried throughout the entire 12-hour flight from Amsterdam.

They were met at the airport by officials from the Swedish and British consulate, who drove them to the Cape Grace Hotel, where Shreyan was waiting. In a book Vinod later authored titled Annie Diwani, a father's story, he said he was struck by Shreyan's strength and how he was able to hold himself together when Vinod himself couldn't stop crying. The following afternoon of Monday, November 15, the police took Vinod to see Annie. They thought it looked as though she was sleeping peacefully and might wake up at any moment. Vinod kissed his daughter's forehead, told her that he loved her, and stated,

Papa is here, Papa is here, I am so sorry, I have come to take you home. The arrangements to transport Annie's body back to the UK were made quickly and Vinod, Shreyan and Prakash were scheduled to fly home the following day. On Tuesday, November 16, the three men sat in the hotel reception waiting until it was time to go to the airport. Vinod noticed that Shreyan spent the majority of the time on his laptop or phone, disappearing once for about 10 minutes with an envelope and newspaper. When they flew home that afternoon, Shreyan slept for a majority of the flight, leaving

Vinod without the chance to speak to him about what happened. In total, 25 fingerprints were found throughout Zollatongo's minivan and were scanned through the South African Police Service's automated fingerprint identification system. A left palm print on the right front fender returned 10 possible matches, which were manually compared to the original, resulting in a positive ID. 26-year-old unemployed laborer Kolele Mongani had been arrested five years earlier in 2005 on suspicion of killing a man in a bar fight. The charges against him were later dropped.

On the morning of Tuesday, November 16, investigators tracked Mongani down to a shack located just a few hundred meters from where Zollatongo's minivan had been abandoned. Mongani had spent the previous night partying with friends and was found asleep in a bed with three other people. Police woke Mongani and read him his rights before placing him under arrest and conducting a search of the shack. Stuffed between the bed's mattress and its frame, they found a Nokia mobile phone. When asked who owned the phone, Mongani replied,

It belongs to the taxi driver. Hidden inside the shack's roof, police discovered Anise Georgiouamani watch and white gold bracelet. Mongani was taken in for questioning and soon admitted to being present for the carjacking and murder of Ani Hindochir. He denied being responsible for Ani's death, instead placing the blame on a man named Umsiwamadodakwabe. Mongani agreed to accompany the officers to various scenes of the crime and talk them through the events. He pointed out the locations where the minivan had been hijacked, where Zollatongo and Shri

and Dawani had been ejected and where stolen items had been hidden. The police then drove Mongani through the Kailisha township in an attempt to track down his alleged accomplice, Umsiwamadodakwabe, but were unable to locate him. Afterwards, Mongani was taken to the holding cells at the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in Belville. Two days later, on Thursday, November 18, police located alleged gunman, Umsiwamadodakwabe. The 27-year-old married father of three had no criminal record, but was known within the Kailisha township as being a small-time drug dealer.

Police took Kwabe in for questioning, where he quickly confessed to his involvement in the fatal carjacking. He also revealed the location of a 7.62mm Narinko pistol he had since offloaded to a friend and a drain where he had disposed of the cartridge from the bullet that had killed Ani Hindocha. Police were able to recover both items and confirm Kwabe's pistol to be the murder weapon. Despite confessing to a number of aspects relating to the crime, Kwabe insisted that he hadn't shot Ani and that it was his accomplice, Kolele Mongani, who had killed her. In a surprising twist, Kwabe claimed that he and Mongani had been recruited to carry out the

crime by a man named Monde Mblombo and the taxi driver who had been escorting the foreign couple throughout the city, Zola Tongo. 31-year-old Monde Mblombo worked at the reception desk of a luxury hotel called the Protea Coliseum Hotel. He and Kwabe had first met a decade earlier when they were both working with an educational project for youths from the Cape Flats townships. The two men had fallen out of touch in 2006 but suddenly bumped into one another again on November 1, 2010. They chatted for a while and exchanged phone numbers with Kwabe instructing Mblombo to call him if anyone was ever bothering him. Almost two weeks later, on Friday, November 12, Kwabe claimed Mblombo had called to say

he had a job that needed to be done and subsequently put Kwabe in contact with Tongo. On Thursday, November 18, police tracked Monde Mblombo down and placed him under arrest. He quickly confessed to his involvement with the carjacking and investigators then turned their attention to Zola Tongo, who they initially believed to have been a victim of the crime. That same day, Tongo retained the services of a lawyer, claiming he did so out of fear that the police planned to assault him. On Saturday, November 20, under advice from his lawyer, Tongo handed himself in. Meanwhile, Shreyan Dawani had requested that his wife's funeral be held in England so that his

family and friends could attend, and the hindoches agreed. In the lead-up to the event, several of Annie's loved ones noted that Shreyan was behaving strangely. Her father, Vinod, had noticed the peculiar behavior since Cape Town, where Shreyan had displayed little grief or tears over Annie's death and didn't voice a desire for his wife's killers to be caught. Instead, Shreyan had spent almost all of his time either on his laptop or mobile phone. The day before Annie's funeral, Shreyan informed the hindoches that a pizza party would be held in Annie's honour that night, which offended Vinod. Another clash also occurred at the funeral home. Hindu custom dictates that only women can dress the body of a deceased female,

so Annie's sister Ami and her cousin, Sneha, planned to undertake this role. Annie had been particularly close to Sneha, who was just one year younger than her. The pair were best friends since childhood, and when Annie moved to the UK, she had lived with Sneha. When Sneha and Ami arrived to dress Annie in preparation for her funeral, Shreyan was already there with his mother and aunt, which was highly unusual. During the dressing process, Shreyan shocked even his own relatives. Annie's parents had hoped to spend a few moments alone with Annie before her funeral, but when Ami asked Shreyan if this was possible, he refused. Ami later addressed the matter with the funeral director, who said the hindoches were welcome

to visit Annie's body 30 minutes prior to the ceremony. At 9.30 am on the day of the funeral, a number of Annie's relatives arrived to place letters they had written inside her coffin, and the family then held hands around her, taking it in turns to offer blessings. Annie was Vinod and Nelam's second child, born between eldest daughter Ami and son Anesh. In their Hindu faith, all women were considered to be the embodiment of the Goddess Lakshmi. As such, Vinod and Nelam considered Annie a blessing. She followed in her father's footsteps by pursuing a career in engineering and took a break from her studies in 2006 to take care of her mother after she was diagnosed with cancer. As Annie's parents and sister were

saying their final farewells, Shreyan suddenly burst in, shouting, What are you guys doing? You are not allowed to do this. An argument ensued until Shreyan's brother forced him to leave, but there wasn't enough time left for Ami to say goodbye to her sister. More than 150 mourners attended the service, during which Annie's family noticed that the letters they had placed in her coffin had been thrown onto the floor. It took some convincing to get Shreyan to agree to return them. A second memorial service was scheduled for the following day, but hostilities between Shreyan and the Hindochis continued when Shreyan threatened to cancel the event. He later agreed to let it proceed on the condition that Ami not be allowed

to address the mourners as he was upset by her behavior at the funeral. On Sunday, November 21, Annie's family were informed that in addition to the arrests of Mungeni, Kwaabe and Umblombo, taxi driver Zola Tongo had also been detained. That same day, Shreyan's brother Praianne phoned Vinod, urging him not to make the text messages that Annie had sent to Sneha public. Vinod had no idea what Praianne was referring to and was left baffled by the call. Later that day, an article in the independent newspaper quoted a South African police source as saying there would soon be an explosive revelation in the case. Following Annie's funeral, Shreyan hired the services of renowned British publicist Max Clifford,

who had previously represented high-profile clients including former NFL athlete and convicted felon O.J. Simpson, television personality and record executive Simon Cowell and English stand-up comedian Freddie Star. On Monday, November 22, it was requested that Annie's father Vinod attend a meeting at Max Clifford's office. Shreyan wasn't present for the meeting, but his brother Praianne was. Praianne recorded the meeting on his mobile phone, during which he asked Vinod such questions as, Do you like your son-in-law? Vinod found the entire experience to be strange and absurd. The next day of Tuesday, November 23, the promised explosive revelation in Annie's murder investigation was published in a number of English newspapers. According to reports, Umsi Wamadoda Kwaabe had

told Cape Town Police that he and Kaulele Mongheny had been hired because, quote, there was a husband who wanted his wife to be killed. Almost immediately after Shreyan's possible involvement was made public, an article ran in tabloid newspaper The Daily Mail with the headline, Father of shot bride, I love Shreyan like a son. It was clear to Vinod that his recorded conversation with Praianne had been used for the peace. Shreyan defended himself publicly, telling the Sun newspaper, I searched high and low for my perfect partner. Annie was the one. Her looks, her laughter, her

personality, her spirit, everything about her was right for me. Why would I want to kill her? People who suggest this could not have seen us together. Saying I was somehow involved defies logic. Annie wasn't on any life insurance policies, and we hadn't even made a will. I had no motive, financial or otherwise. I loved her, and still love her. Shreyan also amended some of the details he had previously provided about the night of the carjacking. While he had initially told police that it was Annie's idea to visit the Cape Flats, he now claimed that it had been Tongo's suggestion, explaining, We were on our way home to our hotel when our driver asked whether we'd like to see

some African dancing on our way. It was late, and we were hugging each other on the back seat, and going through photographs from the safari trip we'd just been on. We weren't really thinking of anything but each other, and sort of said, whatever. Although Shreyan had told police that he'd been forced out of the window of the moving van 20 minutes after Zola Tongo was ejected, he told the son that the vehicle had actually pulled over, more like 40 minutes after Tongo's release. When the carjack is realised, the child locks were activated and the back doors couldn't be opened, he had been dragged out of the window, kicking and screaming.

Shreyan claimed he was then thrown on the ground, and could do nothing but look on helplessly as the minivan disappeared with his wife inside. Annie's parents had long-harboured concerns about their daughter's relationship with Shreyan, beginning with the couple's engagement, which Vinod detailed in his book, Annie Diwani, a father's story. When Vinod and Nalaam were leaving Bristol after their initial meeting with Shreyan's family, the Diwani's had presented them with a large silver dish, known as a tarli, which was stuffed with fruits and nuts and had a bronze statue of Ganesh in the middle. In Hindu culture, this gift is traditionally presented to symbolise an engagement agreement

between two parties. Vinod was confused about the gift, as he had only met Shreyan twice and would have preferred if the young man had approached in the traditional way. He would have also liked to have spoken with Annie first to see what she wanted. Not wanting to offend the Diwani's, he and Nalaam accepted the gift and departed for the airport. Annie had been equally caught off guard and spent weeks deliberating over what to do. Finally, in early May, she decided that she did want to marry Shreyan. After her final wedding reception, Annie had told her parents that she had been trying to convince Shreyan to take her to the Indian state of Kerala for their honeymoon,

so his choice of South Africa had seemed strange. When Shreyan had been implicated in Annie's murder, Annie's best friend and cousin, Snaya, revealed to the Hindochers that Annie and Shreyan had been having relationship problems for some time. She claimed that during the months they were in Mumbai planning their wedding, they had started arguing frequently. Annie had accused Shreyan of being possessive and controlling, and in turn, Shreyan had consistently reprimanded her over minor issues, such as how she placed her dirty clothing in the laundry basket. Prior to the couple's engagement, some of Annie's family members were told that Shreyan had health

problems and was receiving hormone treatments for infertility. However, Snaya told the Hindochers that Annie suspected this was a lie constructed by Shreyan to deflect from the fact that he had no sexual interest in her. Since the beginning of their relationship, they had slept in separate beds, leading Annie to worry that Shreyan didn't find her attractive. According to Snaya, Annie had repeatedly confided that she regretted getting engaged to Shreyan and had tried to call off the wedding on three occasions. Each time, Shreyan had persuaded her to change her mind. Annie expressed concern that she wouldn't find another partner and felt pressured by the amount of money her parents had already spent.

Shortly before the wedding, she sent Snaya a text message that read, I don't want to marry him. I'm going to be unhappy for the rest of my life. One cannot even hug him. We have nothing in common. When the wedding ceremonies were underway, Annie told Snaya that she and Shreyan had decided to act happy even though they weren't. He showed no signs of returning to the funny and loving person he was when they first met, instead criticizing Annie's appearance and saying that one of her saris didn't look very proper. Annie hoped Shreyan's behavior would improve after the wedding and agreed to Snaya's suggestion to get a divorce if it didn't.

When Annie learned that Shreyan would be taking her to South Africa for their honeymoon, she sent a text message to Snaya that read, I don't want to go anywhere with him. Snaya had urged Annie to go in an attempt to resolve the couple's issues and offered to send her money for a flight home if she was still unhappy a few days into the trip. After Annie arrived in South Africa, she messaged Snaya to say that the relationship was going better than before. In early December, Vinod Hindocha received a phone call from South African police requesting that he return to Cape Town as a matter of urgency.

Upon his arrival, investigators revealed that due to admissions made by taxi driver Zola Tongo, they had reason to believe that Shreyan had indeed orchestrated Annie's murder. According to Tongo, when he first picked the couple up from the Cape Town airport and dropped them at the Cape Grace Hotel, Annie went inside to the hotel lobby. Shreyan stayed behind and asked Tongo if he knew anyone who could help him take a client off the scene. The pair had a brief conversation in which Shreyan said he wanted to kill a woman who was arriving later that evening. He was willing to pay a hitman $15,000 or the equivalent of $2,185 Australian dollars at the time, in addition to paying a $5,000 grand finder's fee to Tongo.

He also offered to pay using American dollars if that was preferable. Although Tongo had virtually no criminal record, with the exception of one conviction for driving without a taxi permit, he had agreed to put Shreyan in touch with someone who could commit the crime. Investigators checked security footage captured outside the hotel, and confirmed that Shreyan had spoken with Tongo during this time period, while Annie waited at the lobby's check-in desk. Shreyan then went inside to join his wife, but soon came back outside, where he spoke to Tongo for a further nine minutes. Tongo claimed that after leaving the Cape Grace, he called the Protea Coliseum Hotel, where his friend Monde Mblombo worked at the reception desk.

CCTV footage showed Mblombo had answered the call, followed by Tongo's arrival at the Protea Coliseum approximately 25 minutes later. There, Tongo greeted Mblombo by placing both hands on top of his head, a gesture that indicated cause for celebration, and the two left to speak together. According to Tongo, he had informed Mblombo of Shreyan's request, and Mblombo said he knew a suitable person who could carry out the crime. The conversation lasted just two and a half minutes, then Mblombo put Tongo in touch with his old friend, Umsiwama Dota Kwaabe. That evening, Tongo had phoned Kwaabe to ask if he could do the job. Kwaabe was with his friend, Kōlile Mungeni when the call came through,

and the two men agreed to participate in the plot. The same night that Tongo conspired with Kwaabe, Annie and Shreyan had dined at a waterfront restaurant located a short walk from their hotel. A waitress told investigators that she had approached the couple's table at around 9.20pm. Annie was sitting there alone, and explained that her husband had left to make a business call. CCTV footage from this time captured Shreyan walking the short distance back to the couple's hotel room, where he had left his mobile phone. His phone records revealed that he had received a text message from Tongo, though its contents are unknown. Shreyan called Tongo, and the pair

spoke for 5 minutes and 26 seconds. Tongo told investigators that during the call, he updated Shreyan on the progress of the hit, and confirmed that the hitmen wished to be paid in Rand. He then agreed to help Shreyan exchange some US currency into South African Rand the following day. At 11.56am on Saturday, November 13, CCTV footage from the Kwaabe Grace Hotel captured Tongo picking Shreyan up in his minivan. The pair then drove to a jewelry store called Golden Touch Jewelers, where Shreyan exchanged US$1,500 for 10,200 Rand. Police later confirmed this exchange with the store's owner. Tongo told investigators that on the drive back to the hotel, he and Shreyan discussed the plans for the murder, and determined the order in which the two of them

would be released from the hijacked minivan. With this new information from Tongo, South African authorities intended to prosecute Shreyan for Annie's murder. They asked Annie's father, Vinod, whether he would agree to a plea deal for Tongo, in which he would plead guilty and testify against Shreyan in exchange for a reduced sentence. Vinod agonized over the decision. He believed that if Tongo was responsible for hiring the men who killed his daughter, then he deserved to spend the rest of his life in prison. However, after much consideration, Vinod agreed to the request, and Tongo's plea deal was formalized on December 5, 2010. On Tuesday, December 7, Zola Tongo appeared in the Western Cape High Court to make his plea, stating,

I knew that Mungeni and Quabe would not harm Shreyan 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 Quabe and Mungeni. Tongo pleaded guilty to kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, murder, and obstructing the administration of justice. As per his agreed plea deal, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Immediately after Tongo's testimony, the South African Police Service forwarded an arrest warrant for Shreyan DeWani to the Foreign Assistance Division of Scotland Yard in London. Word about the warrant reached Shreyan at his family home, and by the end of the day,

he handed himself in to police and was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. Three days later, Shreyan appeared in the United Kingdom's High Court. He was granted a bail on the condition that he wear an electronic tag, comply with the curfew, and report daily to police pending extradition hearings, which were scheduled for early 2011. Shreyan maintained his innocence with his lawyer issuing a public statement that read, My client is devastated by Annie's murder and the false allegations that have been made against him, and welcomes the chance to clear his name through the courts. Shreyan's arrest was major news in South Africa, where the nation's media accused him of trying

to exploit the country's high murder rate by having his wife killed there. Almost six months earlier, South Africa had hosted the world's most prestigious international soccer competition, the FIFA World Cup, prompting over 300,000 tourists to flock to the country. Annie's murder reignited old concerns that South Africa would be perceived by foreigners as a dangerous place. Some of the nation's public figures shared their concerns, with a representative from the Congress of South African Trade Unions stating, Annie Hindoche's murder appears to have been planned on the assumption that hijacking and murder are believed to be so commonplace that it would be easy to stage a murder and then claim it was

another normal criminal act. On Wednesday, December 15, another twist in the case emerged, when a German man who lived in England's Midlands region came forward, claiming to have had sex with Shreyan Dewany on three separate occasions. Leopold Leiser, a 39-year-old sex worker known as the German master, alleged that Shreyan had paid him 1100 pounds in cash for his services between September 2009 and April 2010, one month before Shreyan and Annie got engaged. According to Leopold, Shreyan had told him about his forthcoming wedding to Annie, stating that although she was a nice girl, he needed to, quote, find a way out. Shreyan was worried that his family would disown him if he called off the wedding.

These allegations led to speculation that Shreyan's sexuality could have motivated him to order Annie's murder. His lawyer labelled Leopold's claims as completely false and ridiculous, and his publicist Max Clifford stated, Shreyan Dewany has never had a sexual relationship with a man in his life. In Cape Town, prosecutors negotiated with the suspects they already had in custody, and struck a plea deal with one of the two accused carjackers, Umsiwamadoda Kwaabe. Kwaabe had initially pleaded not guilty to Annie's murder, claiming he hadn't been the one who shot her. He changed his mind upon learning that under South African law, being a co-conspirator

to the crimes he had already confessed to, made him equally guilty of Annie's murder. In exchange for a reduced sentence of 25 years, with a 17-year minimum, Kwaabe agreed to testify against Shreyan, and pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping, a legal possession of a firearm, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and murder. Kwaabe confessed that on November 12, 2010, he received a phone call from his old friend Monde Mblombo, who said that a job needed to be done. He then spoke directly with Zola Tongo, who explained that someone had ordered a hit, and Kwaabe subsequently recruited his friend, Kaulile Mungeni, to help. The following day, the trio met up, and Tongo told Kwaabe and Mungeni

that a husband wanted his wife killed in a staged hijacking. In exchange for 1500 rand, they agreed that the husband would be unharmed, and that the wife would be kidnapped, robbed, and killed. Payment for the hit was to be left inside the glove box of the minivan. Kwaabe told investigators that during the course of the hijacking, he drove the minivan while Mungeni sat in the front passenger seat, brandishing the gun. After robbing the newlyweds and forcing Tongo and Shreyan from the vehicle, Mungeni shot and killed Annie from the front passenger seat. Kwaabe and Mungeni then dumped the car, and Kwaabe gave the gun to a friend for safekeeping. Monde Mblombo confessed to acting as an intermediary

between Tongo and Kwaabe, but prosecutors believed his role had been minimal, and therefore he wasn't charged with any crime. Instead, Mblombo was offered immunity in exchange for testifying at Shreyan's trial, as well as that of Kohlele Mungeni, the only one of the South African suspects who had refused the plea deal, and elected to plead not guilty. Meanwhile, in England, proceedings were underway to determine whether Shreyan Dewani would have to return to South Africa to face the accusations levelled against him. South African authorities argued that Shreyan's alleged involvement in the crime explained why he had employed a local taxi driver instead of using his hotel's airport shuttle service, and also explained how he had escaped from the hijackers

unscathed. In response, Shreyan supporters stated it was ludicrous to believe he had asked the first person he met in Cape Town to kill his wife. A preliminary extradition hearing was initially scheduled for February 2011, but Shreyan failed to appear, citing mental illness. The court was told that he had consumed 46 different pills, though Shreyan's doctor denied this had been a suicide attempt. Two months later, on April 20, 2011, Shreyan was detained at a Bristol psychiatric hospital under the Mental Health Act. His defense team continued to fight the extradition process, claiming that their client was mentally unfit to stand trial. They also argued that Shreyan would face a violent sexual assault and the risk of HIV

infection in a South African prison. Nevertheless, on August 10, 2011, British judge Howard Riddle ruled that Shreyan should be extradited, stating that he had confidence in the South African justice system. The paperwork was sent to the UK's immigration minister and then Home Secretary Theresa May for final approval. The Hindocha family presented a petition featuring more than 11,000 signatures to Theresa May, urging her to agree to the extradition. On September 28, 2011, May agreed that the extradition order was valid and that Shreyan should be sent to Cape Town. Despite South African officials making assurances that Shreyan's health would be protected, his legal team continued to insist he was not mentally fit to make the journey.

Ultimately, England's High Court agreed that Shreyan should remain in the UK until his health improved. The drawn-out process took an emotional toll on the Hindocha family. On November 13, 2011, they held a candlelit vigil in their hometown of Mariestod to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Annie's murder. While the extradition hearings continued, on March 29, 2012, BBC Current Affairs Programme Panorama broadcast an hour-long feature about the hijacking case titled, The Honeymoon Murder. In the episode, experts examined the evidence collected by South African police and discovered a number of inconsistencies, particularly in relation to the state's forensic evidence.

Annie's autopsy stated that she had likely been cowering in a defensive posture at the time of her death. But when UK Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepard viewed the case file, he found no evidence to indicate such a thing. Instead, Dr Shepard believed that the lack of blood spatter on the back of the passenger seat suggested Annie had been sitting up and leaning forward at the time she was killed. Additionally, the two hijackers had each presented a different story as to how Annie was killed. Upon Kulile Mungeni's arrest, he had claimed that Umsiwamadoda Kwaabe had approached Annie via the rear passenger door and shot her during a tussle over her handbag. Kwaabe denied this version of events, claiming that Mungeni had shot Annie

while he was sitting in the front passenger seat, a claim that was later deemed to be incompatible with the forensic evidence. South African investigators had concluded that Annie had been killed by a bullet fired from between 5 and 10 centimetres away. This was contested on Panorama by Mark Mestaglio, a leading firearms expert at the UK's Forensic Science Service. He found that the size and pattern of the gunshot and residue indicated a firing position of less than 5 centimetres. Mestaglio suspected that the gun went off when pressed right up against Annie, perhaps during a struggle. Angela Shaw, one of the UK's leading experts on gunshot residue, told Panorama that the South African police had failed to test

the hijacker's clothing and much of the taxi for gunshot residue. This meant she was unable to determine where the shooter had been positioned at the time Annie was shot. Several gaps in Zola Tongo's story were also pointed out, including his claim that Shreyan had said he wanted a client killed instead of simply naming Annie as his victim. Commentators from South Africa's criminal justice system expressed concern over how quickly Tongo's plea deal was arranged, with a former acting High Court judge stating, It seemed to me that the National Prosecution Service was under some political pressure to get some result as soon as possible. William Booth, chair of the country's

criminal law committee, said, In South Africa, things are not happening as they should. I don't believe the prosecution authorities are checking up on their evidence beforehand. It's like, we've got to nail somebody, so let's just go for it. Panorama also spoke to witnesses who had encountered Annie and Shreyan in South Africa. The waitress who served the couple on their first night in Cape Town stated that they showed little affection to one another, which was unusual compared to other honeymooners she had waited on. Symbol Nile Matakazi, the local man who had helped Shreyan call police after the hijacking, said that he believed Shreyan's distress after the crime had been genuine. Symbol Nile had been

surprised when he found out that Shreyan was accused of being involved with the murder plot. Annie's family were upset by the Panorama episode, viewing it as a trial by media before Shreyan had had his day in court. While Kolele Mungeni awaited trial in South Africa, he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Court proceedings were delayed as he underwent surgery and recommenced in August 2012. By then, Mungeni was significantly underweight and required the use of a walking frame. His lawyers claimed the confession he had made during his first police interview shouldn't be admissible in court, as it was made under duress, after Mungeni had been tortured by

the police. The trial judge Robert Henney found no evidence of assault or coercion by the police, and ruled that the confession was admissible. Umsi Wamadoda Kwaabe and Monde Mblombo both testified at the trial that they and Mungeni had come to be involved in the hijacking via taxi driver Zola Tongo. Kwaabe said he and Mungeni had first met up with Tongo on the afternoon before the murder to discuss their plan for the hijacking. This was confirmed by two eyewitnesses who saw the three men sitting in a car together on the day in question. Kwaabe told the court that on the night of the hijacking, Mungeni had shot Annie after Tongo and Shreyan had been thrown out of the minivan. He and Mungeni then collected their payment from

the passenger seat, only to find it was 5,000 rand short of the amount they had requested. The two then retrieved the spent cartridge and threw it down a drain before abandoning the vehicle. A longtime friend of Mungeni's named Lukaya Basela testified that in the early hours after the murder, Mungeni had arrived at his house with Tongo's stolen mobile phone. Later that day, Mungeni confessed to Lukaya that he had robbed and shot a woman. Two days later, the police found Mungeni in Lukaya's home where Annie's Armani watch and white gold bracelet had been hidden in the roof. Mungeni claimed that the witnesses were lying and denied having any involvement in the crime, instead providing an alibi for the night

of the murder. Judge Annie ultimately rejected the alibi, asserting that it didn't match the evidence presented by the prosecution. He found Mungeni guilty of all charges, except kidnapping, citing that kidnapping was part of the murder plot and would therefore be a duplication conviction. Mungeni was sentenced to life in prison. In England, Shreyan's defense team continued to argue that their client still wasn't well enough to be extradited to South Africa. In July 2013, Judge Howard Riddle again ruled that Shreyan be extradited. But Shreyan appealed the decision. Three months later, several judges questioned whether it might be unjust and oppressive to send Shreyan back to South Africa before his mental

health issues had cleared. Yet another hearing took place on January 31, 2014. But on this occasion, the judges rejected Shreyan's appeal and upheld Judge Riddle's ruling. Annie's father, Vinod, had flown to England from Sweden to attend the hearing, while his wife Nalaam was forced to stay home as her health had suffered significantly following her daughter's murder. Vinod later wrote of his relief at the ruling in his book, Annie Diwani, a father's story. It had been a long three and a half year wait, a wretched time for us. There had been upset after upset, endless tears, and the suffering, torment and pain my wonderful family had endured amounted to nothing short of persecution. All we had ever asked for was the truth.

The one person who could help us had remained 6,000 miles away from his accusers for all that time. Now, the wait was over. Authorities in South Africa were required to make special arrangements for Shreyan's return. He was to be flown to Cape Town on a private charter plane at the cost of almost 3 million South African rent, or the equivalent of approximately 247,000 Australian dollars. Rather than being held on remand, he would be staying at the Valkenburg Psychiatric Hospital, where a private room would be redecorated in anticipation of his arrival. On April 7, 2014, Shreyan Diwani arrived in Cape Town, where he was arrested and charged

with conspiracy to commit kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, kidnapping, murder, and obstructing the administration of justice. He pleaded not guilty to wall charges. Shreyan's trial commenced six months later, on October 6, 2014, with the judge Jeanette Traverso presiding. In a highly unusual move, proceedings began with Shreyan's defense counsel reading a statement prepared by their client, who wanted to explain to the court why he was pleading not guilty. In the statement, Shreyan spoke of his love for Ani and his commitment to their relationship, while also acknowledging that they'd had some disagreements prior to their wedding.

He outlined the events of their honeymoon up to and including the night they were hijacked, and detailed the ongoing trauma he'd experienced following Ani's death. As a consequence of the traumatic experience which resulted in the loss of my wife, I have been hospitalized for over three years and suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder. This and the resultant flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety attacks have affected my memory and impacted on my ability to precisely and chronologically recall events concerning this terrible incident. Shreyan's statement also addressed his sexuality, which had been discussed in a number of tabloid articles in the years following the crime. He explained that he was

bisexual and had slept with both women and men, including German sex worker Leopold Leiser, who had previously spoken with the press about his encounters with Shreyan. As Shreyan had steadfastly denied these allegations for almost four years, this admission came as a shock to many, including the Hindocha family. The prosecution considered Shreyan's sexuality as the motive behind Ani's murder. They presented evidence that Shreyan had maintained a user profile at a dating website for gay and bisexual men called Gaydar since August 2004. Computer forensic analysts had found that Shreyan had logged on to the site twice on November 12, 2010, while he and Ani were at Johannesburg Airport,

waiting for their flight to Cape Town. He had also accessed the site for three years, for three hours on November 15, 2010, less than 48 hours after Ani's murder. An examination of Shreyan's laptop had also revealed 53 emails between himself and a man who wasn't named in court, some of which were sexually explicit. While this evidence was being presented, Judge Traverso suddenly intervened and stated that Shreyan's sexuality was irrelevant to the murder charge, as he had already addressed the matter in his opening statement. She banned the prosecution from presenting their next witness, German sex worker Leopold

Eliza, who had intended to testify about his sexual encounters with Shreyan. The prosecution then called Ani's cousin, Snaya, to the stand, although Judge Traverso had deemed most of her planned testimony to be inadmissible. Snaya discussed some of the text messages she had received from Ani in the months preceding her death, and spoke about Shreyan's strange behavior in the days following Ani's murder. In regards to Shreyan's initial claim that it had been Ani who requested the couple drive through the Cape Flats, Snaya stated that Ani would never ask such a thing. By this point, taxi driver Zola Tongo had already served almost four years for his

role in orchestrating Ani's murder. In accordance with the plea deal he'd struck with prosecutors, Tongo testified that Shreyan had approached him about organizing a murder immediately after the couple arrived at the Cape Grace Hotel on Friday, November 12, 2010. Tongo explained that his friend Monde Mblombo had put him in touch with Umziwama Dota Kwaabe, who Tongo had then planned the murder with. He also told the court how he had helped Shreyan exchange his money to pay for the hit. Tongo testified that on Saturday, November 13, he was scheduled to pick up Shreyan and Ani at 7.30 p.m., but was delayed by about half an hour. An agitated sounding Shreyan had called to ask where he was, insisting the hit had to take place that night. The original plan was for

Kwaabe and Mungeni to carjack the vehicle earlier in the evening, but the two men were delayed due to a transportation issue. When Tongo dropped Shreyan and Ani at the Surfside Restaurant for dinner, Ani had walked inside, while Shreyan had pulled Tongo aside, demanding to know why the hit hadn't yet taken place. He threatened to kill Tongo if the plan didn't proceed, before following Ani into the restaurant. Shreyan then called Tongo during the meal, and Tongo reassured him that the murder would take place after dinner. When Shreyan and Ani were back in Tongo's minivan, phone records showed that Tongo had sent Shreyan a text message at 10.40 p.m., in which he claimed to have asked Shreyan where he had hidden the 15,000 rand for the hijackers.

According to Tongo, Shreyan had texted back to say the money was in an envelope in a pouch behind the passenger seat. At approximately 11 p.m., Tongo texted Kwaabe to let him know they were about to arrive in Gugoletu. The hijacking had taken place shortly after, and Tongo had then walked to a police station to report the incident. He told the court that it was only when the police were driving him back to the Cape Grace Hotel that he overheard them mention that Ani was Shreyan's wife. Tongo claimed he didn't know that the pair were married, as Shreyan had told him the murder victim was a client of his. At the Cape Grace Hotel, Tongo claimed that he and Shreyan spoke intermittently over the course of the night, with Shreyan approaching to ask whether the job had been

done. On Tuesday, November 15, Shreyan had asked him to come to the hotel to collect his 5000 rand finders fee. They met near a corridor in the lobby, and Shreyan gave Tongo an envelope in a plastic bag. Tongo went into a bathroom to check the envelope, only to find it contained 1000 rand instead of the 5000 they agreed to. He claimed he tried to find Shreyan, but never saw or spoke to him again. During cross-examination, the defense examined a number of holes in Tongo's story. Despite his claim that he had no further contact with Shreyan after the financial transaction, phone records indicated that Shreyan had made a 54-second phone call to Tongo one hour and 40 minutes after this incident. CCTV footage also appeared to refute Tongo's

assertion that Shreyan had called him in an agitated state around 7.30pm on the night of the murder. Security cameras in the lobby of the Cape Grace Hotel had captured Shreyan making this call, but he appeared calm and was standing right next to Annie the whole time. CCTV footage also disproved Tongo's claim that Shreyan had accosted him outside the Surfside Restaurant after Annie went inside alone. Security cameras had captured Shreyan walking ahead of Annie, who was trailing behind, and a waiter had confirmed to BBC Panorama that Shreyan had entered the restaurant first. The defense insisted that Shreyan had only ever contacted Tongo to book taxi appointments, as he and Annie had liked his friendly personality and were happy

to have him show for them around Cape Town. In regards to the US dollars that Tongo had helped Shreyan exchange, the defense said that Shreyan planned to use the money to book a scenic helicopter trip to surprise Annie, which cost around $10,000. Tongo was helping him arrange the helicopter ride, which explained why Shreyan had met with Tongo the night before the murder, as well as the various text messages sent between the two. Monday in Blombo, the man who had introduced Tongo to the hijackers, was also called to testify on behalf of the prosecution. Blombo stated that Tongo had told him that a husband wanted his wife killed, which contradicted Tongo's claim that he didn't know Annie and Shreyan were married.

Blombo had been offered immunity in exchange for his testimony, as investigators thought his role in the plot was minimal. However, while he was on the stand, it was revealed that his involvement went further than police had initially believed. On the night of the murder, CCTV footage from the Protea Coliseum Hotel where in Blombo worked recorded him talking on the phone to Tongo and making several statements that sounded as though he was in charge, such as, this is how it's going to happen. During cross-examination, Blombo's evidence unraveled and he started to contradict himself on every aspect of his earlier police statements and the testimony he gave at Kolele Mungeni's trial.

In the end, Judge Traverso rejected Blombo's immunity and declared him to be a self-confessed liar. Regardless, South Africa's National Prosecution Service never brought any charges against him. Umsiwama Dota Kwaabe's testimony resulted in further inconsistencies. Kwaabe claimed that 10,000 rand had been stashed behind the passenger seat as payment for the hit, which he and Mungeni had split. However, Mungeni claimed they only received 4,000 rand, which they had stolen from Shrian at gunpoint. In further contrast, Shrian claimed that the hijackers had robbed him of between 5,000 and 6,000 rand. Of all these claims, the evidence supported Mungeni's version of events, as he was found to have spent just under

2,000 rand on shoes and clothes the day after the murder. The prosecution's case was also hindered by issues with the forensic evidence. Kwaabe asserted that Mungeni had shot Annie from the front passenger seat, which the prosecution conceded wasn't forensically possible. A police ballistics expert who had reconstructed the layout of Tongo's minivan had made significant errors by using a different vehicle entirely, which resulted in the defense deriding him during cross-examination. The exact details surrounding Annie's murder remained a mystery. On November 17, 2014, the prosecution rested their case, and Shrian's defense team immediately applied to have the trial dismissed under Section 174 of South Africa's Criminal

Procedure Act. This statute allows the court to return a verdict of not guilty at the end of the prosecution's case if it's deemed there's no evidence that the accused committed a crime. Judge Traverso considered the submission, and on December 8, she ordered that the case against Shrian Diwani be dismissed, having found that there was insufficient evidence upon which a reasonable court could convict him. In explaining her conclusion, Judge Traverso noted that Tongo was the only witness who could directly connect Shrian to the crime, but his testimony contained too many inaccuracies and lies to be deemed credible. She noted that Tongo, Mblombo, and Quabe were all intelligent individuals capable of twisting

their testimonies to implicate Shrian. Judge Traverso added that a person couldn't be prosecuted without credible evidence, simply in the hope that he might incriminate himself while on the stand. In conclusion, she stated, Regrettably, there are many unanswered questions about what exactly happened on the fateful night. I realized that there is a strong public opinion that the accused should be placed on his defense. I have taken note of that. I have also taken note of the plight of the Hindoches. I have, however, taken an oath of office to uphold the rule of law and to administer justice without fear, favor, or prejudice. That I cannot do if I permit public opinion to influence

my application of the law. In the light of the analysis of the state case, there is no evidence upon which a reasonable court, acting carefully, can convict the accused. With the trial dismissed, Shrian Diwani was free to go. Annie's family were devastated by the decision. In Vinod Hindoches' book, he wrote, If I had not been sitting down, my legs would have buckled and I would have fallen to the floor. I looked at my family and saw their pain. Everybody was beginning to move around me, but everything was silent in my head. I saw Diwani walk towards the exit of the dock and disappear down the stairs, refusing to look at us as he passed. They let him slip out of the

Western Cape Court without telling us what happened. Outside court, Annie's sister, Ami, told the press, Today we feel as a family that the justice system has failed us and we are deeply disappointed. We came here looking for answers and we came here looking for the truth, and all we got was more questions. We waited patiently for four years to hear what really happened to Annie. The hope of actually finding that out has kept us as a family going. Unfortunately, we believed that this riot has now been taken away from us because we never heard the full story of Shrian. We heard that Shrian has led a double life and that Annie knew nothing about it, and we just wish that Shrian had been honest with us and especially with Annie.

Not ever knowing what happened to my dearest little sister on the 13th of November 2010, that's going to haunt me, my family, my brother, my parents, for the rest of our lives. Prior to Shrian's trial, the Hindoches had requested that an inquest into Annie's death be opened in the UK. In February 2015, the inquest commenced in London's Coroner's Court, but Senior Coroner Andrew Walker determined that the matter wouldn't proceed any further. He stated, The fact that there are differing accounts of how Mrs. Diwani came by her death does not, in my view, mean that the matters have not already been sufficiently established

in public proceedings. Coroner Walker said he was prohibited from reaching a conclusion that contradicted the findings of the South African courts, but indicated that the inquest could be reopened in the future if new evidence came to light. Shrian Diwani returned to the UK where he maintained a low profile. His family refused to speak to the media, other than to say they were glad that Shrian's name had been cleared. In Shrian's hometown of Bristol, public opinion was divided as to whether or not he was innocent. Some members of the community verbally abused the journalists who gathered outside the Diwani family home in the days following the trial, while others shouted the word killer in the

direction of the house. The driveway of their property was paint-bombed, and a monopoly-inspired get-out-of-jail free card was left by the gates. Kolele Mungeni died in the hospital ward of Goodwood Prison as a result of his brain tumor, after serving just two years of his life sentence. In September 2016, intended prosecution witness Leopold Leiser, the sex worker who had previously engaged in sexual activity with Shrian Diwani, died by suicide. A police investigation revealed that Leopold had been suffering from stress as a result of the trial. In 2018, it was reported that Shrian was in a relationship with a man and the pair were

living together in West London. On September 6, 2019, Zola Tongo became eligible for parole after serving half of his 18-year sentence. He submitted his parole application in May 2019, with the board expected to make a decision the following month. As South Africa employs a restorative justice program to help inform parole hearings, and his father Vinod returned to the country to speak with Tongo. Details of their meeting haven't been publicly revealed, but South African newspaper IOL quoted Vinod as stating, We didn't get what we wanted. He's still not telling the truth. As of the release of this episode, there has been no news regarding Tongo's possible parole.

Mondeim Blombo has never been charged in relation to Annie's murder, and Umsi-Wamadoda-Kwabe remains behind bars. To express the Hindocha family's struggle with grief and the criminal justice system in the years that followed Annie's murder, Vinod Hindocha wrote a book titled, Annie Diwani, A Father's Story. Towards the book's conclusion, Vinod expressed his relief that Annie's marriage was never legally formalized, writing, You remained a Hindocha, one of us, not one of his. The month after the book was published, Vinod was fixing an elevator near his hometown of Maristod when the chain slipped, sending him hurtling to the ground. The force of the drop caused his right arm to be ripped off just below the shoulder.

Vinod was airlifted to hospital, where doctors managed to reattach his arm after 16 hours of surgery. Following the operation, he underwent physiotherapy to aid in his recovery. Vinod spoke to the Daily Mail about the experience, stating, After the operation, I had a lot of pain everywhere, but I could feel somebody dressing the pain. Maybe it is my imagination, but it was Annie. I believe she was there taking care of me. I still believe she is here. She is here, until she gets justice.