Police have arrested 14 people in connection with the kidnapping of a Zimbabwean businessman, including three Chinese and two Mozambican nationals.
It is alleged that the suspects allegedly kidnapped the man on Sunday near his place of employment.
South African Police Service (SAPS) national spokesperson, Colonel Athlenda Mathe, said on Monday that a multidisciplinary team, including the SAPS anti-kidnapping task team in Gauteng and other SAPS units and private security companies, located the businessman in Diepkloof, Soweto.
"They also managed to trace the fourteen kidnappers at various locations, the first eight were traced to an apartment in Greenstone Park and the rest were arrested in Sandton.
"Multiple speed point machines, a large sum of cash that was withdrawn from the victims bank account, two firearms including a firearm stolen during a house robbery in Linden in 2023, are among the items that have been seized and recovered from the kidnappers," Mathe said.
Mathe added that in recent weeks, police teams have managed to intercept a number of suspects linked to kidnapping syndicates, which prey on businessmen and demand large sums of money for ransom.
"Communities are urged to continue to report suspicious activities in and around their neighbourhood, to ensure together we deal decisively with these criminals," Mathe said.
One week ago, the SAPS special task force rescued two kidnapped victims at an informal settlement in Crystal Park, Benoni.
At the time, Mathe said a 64-year-old man and a 34-year-old man were both kidnapped while driving along Putfontein Road in Crystal Park.
The kidnappers immediately began making ransom demands to their families, and police were able to trace the kidnappers.
One suspect was killed following a shootout with police, another was wounded, and four more were arrested.
IOL News