Suspected kidnappers arrested
Excellent detective work led to the arrest of a gang of suspected kidnappers in Khutsong Extension 5 in the past week.
A Carletonville resident had a harrowing experience when he was kidnapped from the parking area of the Bluebell shopping complex on 12 April. The kidnappers only released him after his family paid the ransom.
Great was his surprise when he noticed the two men who had kidnapped him while sitting at a carwash near the Khutsong Extension 5 vehicle bridge at approximately 14:00 on 1 June. He phoned his brother while keeping a close eye on the two men. His brother contacted the police, and detectives raced to the scene.
They followed the suspects to a house on Harry Gwala Street, where a vehicle with Lesotho number plates was parked. The detectives stormed into the yard and arrested three suspects in the house. Unfortunately, two others ran away.
Besides the victim who spotted them, identifying them as his kidnappers, the investigating officer also found an unlicensed .38 special revolver in their possession.
The investigating officer, Sgt Malesela Kekana, soon determined that the weapon was stolen during a housebreaking in Parkview in Johannesburg in 2006. He also linked the three suspects, all Lesotho nationals, to several other kidnappings in the area, including that of a boy in Khutsong recently.
The suspects, who are 39, 35 and 28 years old, appeared in court on Monday.
