NRI husband held for staging wife Anni Dewani8217;s murder

He surrendered himself to the police in Bristol and was arrested on Tuesday night.

Shrien was arrested under a Provisional Arrest Warrant for suspicion of conspiring to murder Anni,28. Shrien is accused of conspiring with others to murder Anni on November 13.

He is due to appear in custody at City of Westminster Magistrates8217; Court on Wednesday.

Shrien,a businessman,now faces being extradited to South Africa after prosecutors there claimed he had offered to pay 1,300 pounds to have his wife murdered on their honeymoon.

He allegedly offered money to a taxi driver to arrange for Anni to be shot dead in a staged carjacking in a township,according to claims outlined by a prosecutor.

Shrien,who owns a chain of care homes,dismissed the accusations as 8220;ludicrous8221;.

The two were travelling through Gugulethu,a township,when they were ambushed by two men who appeared to threaten their driver,Zola Tongo,and ordered him out of the car before also ejecting Anni.

She was found shot dead in the back of the car several hours later.

On Tuesday,prosecutors in South Africa publicly accepted a signed confession from Tongo that was agreed as part of a plea bargain deal in which he admitted murder,aggravated robbery and kidnapping.

With Anni8217;s father,Vinod Hindocha,and other relatives who had flown in from Sweden,looking on,Rodney de Kock,the Western Cape director of public prosecutions,said Shrien had orchestrated the murder.

He told Judge President John Hlophe: 8220;The alleged hijacking was in fact not a hijacking,but part of a plan of subterfuge which Shrien Dewani,the husband of the deceased,and the accused had designed to conceal the true facts,to wit: that the deceased was murdered at the instance of her husband.8221;

Reading a lengthy confession signed by Tongo,who sat in the dock with his head buried in his hands throughout,Kock outlined how Shrien allegedly offered the driver 15,000 rand 1,379 pounds to plan and carry out the 8220;hit8221;.

8220;The hijacking would be simulated,8221; the confession claims. 8220;The agreement was that after the 8216;hijacking8217; of the vehicle,both Shrien Dewani and I would be ejected from the vehicle unharmed,after which the deceased would be murdered.

8220;The kidnapping and robbery were part of the plan to make it appear that this was a random criminal act,unconnected to Shrien Dewani,8221; according to the confession.

Tongo claimed that Shrien sent him a text message while he was driving saying that the fee was hidden behind a seat.

Tongo was jailed for 18 years for his role in the killing as part of the deal,avoiding a likely life sentence.

He will give evidence at the trials of Xolile Mngeni,23,and Mzwamadoda Qwabe,25.

Tongo alleges he helped recruit them to carry out the carjacking.They are accused of murder,kidnapping and aggravated robbery.

Shrien8217;s spokesman,Max Clifford,described the allegations as 8220;outrageous8221; and said that,while he had been warned to expect the latest turn of events,he was 8220;devastated8221;.