Gauteng police record almost 150 kidnappings for ransom cases between Jan & March

JOHANNESBURG - Gauteng police have warned that kidnappings for ransom are rife in the province, recording almost 150 cases between January and March.

On Thursday, the anti-kidnapping unit, organised crime unit and private security closed in on a case where a businessman was kidnapped for almost two months.

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According to police, the kidnappers demanded R15 million from the victim’s family, who only managed to pay R2 million.

Earlier in the week, the police nabbed one of the suspects who led them to where the businessman was kept by four of his accomplices.

However, before police found the exact location of the Greenhills house, the kidnappers sent police a message daring the officers to find them.

Deputy Gauteng Police Commissioner Fred Kekana said that in the last two years, more than 170 kidnappers who demanded ransom were arrested by police.

“It’s rife but with these types of successes, the most pleasing and humbling thing is that the victim was rescued alive and unharmed.”

The 60-year-old victim was reunited with his family.

KIDNAPPERS BELIEVED TO BE LINKED TO MORE CASES

Kekana said the men linked to the kidnapping case where the businessman was kept in a house in Randfontein are believed to be linked to more cases.

During the operation two of the suspects were killed during a shootout with police and two others were arrested.

The police were unharmed during the shootout.

Kekana said they will continue with investigations.

“We are currently busy doing further linkages, but the obvious thing is that this is not the only case where they are linked, and there can be more than we even think.”