Mohamed Inayat Sadak and Elton Pillay.
Image: Supplied
TWO men, including a tow truck driver, recently paroled after serving 12 years in prison for murder, were shot dead in a drive-by shooting.
It has been alleged the shooting was linked to a turf war in Chatsworth. However, family members suspect a case of mistaken identity.
After spending more than 12 years in prison for murder, kidnapping and robbery, Elton Pillay, 42, was shot and killed in a brazen drive-by shooting near the Hare Krishna Temple on Saturday night.
His nephew, Mohamed Inayat Sadak, 28, of Crossmoor, was also killed.
Pillay’s family member, who did not want to be named, told the POST that authorities at the scene informed them a gunman had allegedly alighted from a vehicle and opened fire on the men while they were parked at the Croftdene off-ramp.
“At the scene, there were countless bullet shells near the tow truck. Elton was in the driver’s seat and Inayat was in the passenger seat. It was like walking into a movie scene. The police told us that both of them were dead, and we were heartbroken,” she added.
The relative said Pillay was released from prison in February after serving a 12-year sentence for murder.
She alleged that Pillay and Sadak were killed in a case of mistaken identity, while sources associated with the 11 Street gang in Crossmoor, told the POST they believed the incident was linked to a tow truck turf war.
She said Pillay struggled to get a job when he was released from prison on February 9 due to his criminal record.
She added that he started working as a tow truck driver because he could not find employment elsewhere.
“Elton and Inayat shared a close relationship. Inayat worked in construction at a railway station in Chatsworth, and had spent most of his time with Elton since his release from prison.
“Inayat was still grieving his brother, Mohamed Shuwaib Sadak. He was 24 years old, when he was robbed and shot in Crossmoor in 2023.
“When Elton got out of jail, he gave most of his free time to helping people in the community. He loved spending time with his family, as he had lost over 12 years of his life in prison.
“He was paroled due to good behaviour, and we are devastated that he was killed in such a brutal manner so soon after he was freed,” she added.
The relative said Sadak's mother, who is still grieving her son Shuwaib, was struggling to cope with her second son’s death.
“She has not come out of her room since his funeral on Sunday. She refuses to talk or eat,” she added.
Claude Subramodey, spokesperson for Amawele Emergency Services, said both men were declared dead at the scene. He said their family members were treated for shock upon arrival.
A source associated with the 11 Street gang said that Pillay was not a member, but had known the gang's leader Brandon "Puff" Kalicharan, who was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in March 2023.
“While he was on parole in 2022, he lived with Puff for some time until he could get back on his feet. But then he violated his parole when he was caught for the kidnapping and robbery of a man who was stranded with his vehicle on the M4.
“He was sent back to prison and served his sentence until February. Now that Puff is dead, the 11 Street gang is also dead. This is why we believe that his killing is linked to the brewing tow truck war in Chatsworth,” he added.
He said Pillay had tried to change his life after his release, but was pushed back into crime because of the lack of support for parolees and convicts who had completed their sentences.
Pillay will be laid to rest on Wednesday.