One suspect is on the run and three have been arrested for allegedly having kidnapped a Bangladeshi national in Hillbrow on 29 November.
Hillbrow Police Station spokesperson Sergeant Mduduzi Zondo said the suspect who got away has also disappeared with the ransom money.
Zondo said the kidnappers took their victim to one of the hostels in Soweto where they kept him for about three days and demanded an amount of R100 000 from his family. “They then arranged to meet at the Southgate Mall near Soweto and the family paid R100 000 for his release.
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“One of the suspects drove away with the money, and the victim, who had not been immediately released to the family, was then put in the boot of the car and they drove away with him in another car.”
On their way back to Soweto, Zondo said they drove into a roadblock and that is where the victim was rescued and the suspects, aged between 24 and 26 years old, were arrested.
The other suspect who drove away with the ransom money has since disappeared and police are looking for him, added Zondo.
The three suspects appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court and have been remanded in police custody.
Among them, said Zondo, is the victim’s so-called friend from Bangladesh and he is believed to be the one who has orchestrated the kidnapping.
In an unrelated matter Hillbrow police report that a 20-year-old man was arrested on 3 December on the corner of Five Street and Abel Road for possession of unlicensed firearm.
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Zondo said, “Our officers were patrolling the area when they noticed a suspicious-looking man waiting on the corner. They approached and searched him and a 9mm pistol with one live ammunition was found in his possession. The serial numbers are filed off.”
The man has since appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court and was charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm.
Details: Sergeant Mduduzi Zondo 082 850 7974.
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