The alleged Mozambican kingpin of the kidnapping has been arrested.
Gallo Images/Die Burger/Jaco Marais
- A 50-year-old Mozambican citizen has been arrested in connection with multiple kidnapping cases.
- Alleged cases of kidnapping are reported in South Africa and Mozambique.
- Police say ransoms were demanded in Mozambique.
A team from more than six police stations arrested a suspected kidnapping kingpin at a luxury property in Centurion on Saturday night.
The 50-year-old suspect, a Mozambican national, is alleged to be linked to multiple kidnappings in South Africa and Mozambique. The ransom demands came from Mozambique.
“In their possession, the team seized a licensed 9mm firearm, 14 9mm cartridges, five mobile phones, several bank cards from South African banks, as well as several SIM cards from SA and Mozambique,” the spokeswoman said. of the police, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe.
The team was acting on an arrest warrant and an extradition request from the Mozambican government in July 2022.
READ | Gauteng police arrest alleged accomplice of alleged kidnapping kingpin
According to a police report, there have been multiple cases where he was identified as the kingpin operating a transnational kidnap-for-ransom ring that had been operating since 2018.
The report also stated that information was received from a confidential source regarding the possible location of the suspect who was moving between Gauteng, Cape Town and Mozambique.
Investigations were conducted by Crime Intelligence’s Kidnapping Unit and other actors, while multiple surveillance operations were carried out in the Western Cape, Gauteng and Mpumalanga to track down the suspect.
Mathe said he was expected to appear before the Randburg Magistrate Court on Monday, where extradition proceedings will immediately begin.
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