Durban — Police in KwaZulu-Natal have issued a strong warning to anyone who is contemplating staging his or her own kidnapping for the purpose of soliciting a ransom from family members.
Police were reacting to the arrest of Feroza Beebee Joseph, 47, from Phoenix, north of Durban, who on Monday allegedly staged her own kidnapping and demanded her husband transfer R2 million for her release – only to be found gambling at the Golden Horse Casino in Pietermaritzburg the following day.
Joseph was arrested and charged with defeating the ends of justice and with perjury. She appeared at the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said such people were not only robbing their families but wasting state resources by opening false cases. He warned that they would face the wrath of the law.
The police had been working hard to decrease the number of kidnappings, which had been on the rise recently, he said.
Apart from Phoenix detectives, he said, the Organised Crime Unit, Durban Hostage Negotiation, the Special Task Force as well as Crime Intelligence were used in the search and he thanked them for their great effort and endurance.
According to an incident report, the 47-year-old woman “ ... was a pathological gambler and the husband admitted that she gambles up to R40 000 per night”.
The woman was allegedly found with stashes of R400 000 the husband had transferred “for her release”.
A police source said the husband reported to the police that his wife was being held hostage by a man who had demanded money.
According to an incident report, he told police that they were both at his petrol station when the wife said she was going home to relieve herself, which is a short distance from the garage.
The husband told the police that a few moments later, he received a call from her. She sounded distressed and said she had been kidnapped.
“He said he drove around near his home to check whether he could spot her car abandoned, but saw nothing.
“He again received a call and this time with a video from another cellphone number where an amount of R2 million was demanded by an African male with a Zulu accent. The husband then transferred R400 000, which the hostage had accepted.”
The husband allegedly admitted to police that his wife was once held hostage in 2021, when he had to deposit a R30 000 ransom. He did not know whether it was staged or not, adding that she had been dropped off outside the Durban Central police station.
“Tracing her through her cellphone, the police noted that she was gambling at a casino in Pietermaritzburg, and local police were activated. It was further revealed that she came alone in a white taxi and had no signs of injuries.
“The police team then scouted around and found a bed-and-breakfast closest to the traffic light where she had been dropped off.
“Further enquiries revealed that the woman had in fact booked in at that accommodation for the night under a false name. It was not confirmed at this stage that this kidnapping was staged so at this point she was still considered to be a hostage.”
It is alleged that the police breached the door, and the alleged hostage was found in the room lying on the bed, in a relaxed posture.
“Her handbag was searched and all her jewellery that she had claimed was taken by the kidnappers was found in her bag. A large sum of cash to the value of R40 017 was also found, as well as a cellphone.”
The woman pretended that her legs were numb and claimed she was injected by the kidnappers but when the ambulance was called she refused to get in.
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