BALFOUR – Close to a hundred members of the Grootvlei and Balfour communities made their voices heard at the Balfour Magistrates court earlier today (February 21) where six accused kidnappers were due to apply for bail.
In a peaceful protest, the residents showed their support for shop owner Lokman Bhuiyan (40) who was kidnapped and held captive on a farm in Endicott outside Springs for 10 days.
Bhuiyan was taken from his family on January 9 and, thanks to the help of both local and international law enforcement agencies, returned home on January 19.
The men accused of snatching Bhuiyan from his loved ones were not granted bail as proceedings were delayed. The case was postponed to February 28.
The community members who formed a human wall in front of the court from 08:00 this morning said that they would be devastated if bail was granted.
“We are gathered here today to show our support to people from other countries,” said Mapaseka Shikwambane (friend of Bhuiyan).
Bhuiyan’s kidnappers demanded R4-million from his family in Bangladesh for his safe release. His family eventually paid a part of his ransom before police officials stepped in.
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