Limpopo cops nab kidnapper linked to series of crimes
The man was cornered after he kidnapped a 60-year-old man.
LIMPOPO – A 22-year-old man involved in a recent kidnapping in the province has now been linked to a series of crimes committed in and around the Haenertsburg policing area. The crimes were committed between January and June and involved house robbery, house breaking, theft, assault and theft of a motor vehicle.
He was arrested shortly after he kidnapped a 60-year-old man from his house on 14 June. According to a statement issued by Police Spokesperson, Col Moatshe Ngoepe, the suspect broke into the house and held the victim at gunpoint and robbed him of his bank cards and car keys, subsequently loading him into the boot of the vehicle and driving off.
The family of the victim notified the police who, with the assistance of the vehicle tracking company, managed to trace the vehicle to the Mentz, Ga-Mamabolo in the Mankweng policing area where the arrest was effected.
Ngoepe says preliminary investigations at the time revealed that the suspect withdrew money from the victim’s bank account at ATMs in Mankweng, Polokwane and Lebowakgomo, while the victim was still in the boot of the vehicle.
Through ongoing investigations the man has now been linked to other crimes committed in the Haenertsburg area. “The suspect will appear before various magistrate courts soon and may be linked to similar cases across the province as the investigations are still unfolding,” says Ngoepe.
The Acting Provincial Police Commissioner, Maj Genl Jan Scheepers commended all members of the South African Police Service who were involved in this coordinated operation on a job well done.
