From Pretoria, the capital of South Africa, CEOAFRICA.com gathered that a court of law in the country has withdrawn murder charges leveled against the leader of People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad).

The detained leader of the group, Abdus Salaam Ebrahim, was arrested following the murders of three Tanzanians in Cape Town last week.

Sources said the charges were withdrawn to allow further investigation.

The group, which was formed in 1995, aimed at fighting crimes in and around Cape Town, especially drug dealers and gangsters, is Muslim-dominated.  

Pages has been described in the past as a terrorist organization and it maintained a less visible presence until 2011 when the group resurfaced and began a campaign to take back control of the streets.

Between 2000 and 2002, more than 120members of the group were arrested and charged for series of crimes including murder, and between1997-1998, the group carried out 222 acts of violence against drug dealers with the use of guns and explosives.

The group was implicated in a number of bombing in the past, including a blast at the Planet Hollywood restaurant in 1998.

In 2011, pagad organises marches to the homes of suspected drug dealers demanding that they should stop their operation.