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Who was Riaan Naude? Trophy hunter SHOT DEAD in execution-style murder inside his truck

The 55-year-old trophy hunter from South Africa, Riaan Naude, was fatally shot inside his truck, motive yet to be uncovered

Riaan Naude, a 55-year-old trophy hunter was shot down in an execution-style murder inside his truck. The incident reportedly took place next to his car on Marken Road, Limpopo in South Africa. Police spokesperson Lt Col Mamphaswa Seabi said the cops found the hunter's body next to his vehicle with his face up and blood all over his head and face. 

According to the local news outlet, Maroela Media, clothes, water, whiskey, pajamas, and two hunting rifles were found in his car. The local police department has launched an investigation to find the potential perpetrators behind this murder. Riaan Naude reportedly stopped his car on the side of the road after his car got overheated, which was approximately 5 km away from Mokopane Road. It was said that a white Nissan stopped next to his vehicle and two men came out from the car and shot the hunter down at a very close range. Besides killing, they also appeared to have stolen a gun before they fled the scene. 

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The 55-year-old ran a company named Pro Hunt Africa that encouraged people in hunting wild animals and has also claimed to have taken the lives of several endangered species throughout Africa. The Phalaborwa resident was criticized for his inhuman acts by many Internal Animal Rights organizations and often shared snaps of himself, posing with other dead animals that he killed. Some of the animals that he killed include zebras, tigers, rhinos, giraffes, and elephants. He also used to breed and sell giraffes illegally to other customers so that they could hunt them and keep them as personal trophies. 

The initial stage of the investigation revealed that a cattle herder who was present in a nearby area during the crime heard a gunshot and saw a white Nissan pick-up truck speeding toward Marken. Although the authorities have not found the motive behind this killing yet, locals seemed to have a high level of hatred for the infamous hunter due to the enormous number of animals that he had killed. 

Social media users, however, were found to be delighted on hearing the news. People started celebrating the death of Riaan Naude as many believed it was Karma that claimed his life. "Well they do say karma comes to them who wait", a Twitter user said.