A 42-year-old Zimbabwean national, Tshuma Zandile Tshuma, has been arrested in South Africa in connection with the alleged murder of his wife and their two daughters near Bedford, UK.

The victims, Nothabo Tshuma, 42, and her daughters, Natalie, 15, and Nala, five, were found dead at their family home near Bedford on Monday.

The suspect allegedly left the United Kingdom through Heathrow Airport on a British passport two days after the killings, before eventually travelling to South Africa.

His arrest was possible through “an intensive operation involving the SAPS Interpol National Central Bureau, Crime Intelligence, and the Organised Crime Investigation Unit,” South African police said in a statement on X on Friday.

Athlenda Mathe, a spokesperson for the South African Police Service, said officers had located and arrested the suspect in Johannesburg.

“Let this be a stern warning to criminals across the world that South Africa is not a hideout for fugitives,” Ms Mathe said at a press conference.

“If you commit serious crimes anywhere in the world and think you can evade justice by fleeing to South Africa, you are mistaken. We will trace you, we will find you, and we will arrest you.”

The police spokesperson said the suspect is expected to appear in court on Monday.

The murder of Mrs Tshuma and her two daughters has sparked reactions from many calling for her killer to be fished out and prosecuted.