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The South African Police’s elite special operations team rescued two kidnap victims in Benoni on Monday afternoon. (Photo courtesy of South African Police)
- Two kidnap victims were rescued in Gauteng on Monday.
- The men were allegedly kidnapped in Benoni on Sunday.
- One suspected kidnapper was shot dead, four people were detained and a sixth was wounded in the shootout.
Two kidnap victims have been rescued in the latest operation against a kidnap syndicate in Benoni.
During the operation, four suspected kidnappers were detained; one was injured in the shootout and taken to hospital, and the sixth was shot dead.
The South African Police Service’s elite Special Task Force (STF) rescued the victim from an informal settlement in Crystal Park, Benoni, on Monday afternoon, according to police spokesperson Brigadier Aslenda Mat.
Mathe said:
On Sunday, a 64-year-old man and a 34-year-old man were kidnapped while driving on Putfontein Road in Crystal Park. The kidnappers immediately began demanding a ransom from the kidnapper’s family.
She added that on Monday afternoon, the rescue team “launched an attack on the kidnappers” and a gun battle ensued.
“One kidnapper was shot dead, one was injured and taken to hospital, and four others were arrested and are in police custody,” she said.
“The South African Police Service would like to assure communities who may be victims of this type of crime that it has the necessary expertise and capacity to intercept and disrupt criminal syndicates involved in kidnapping and ransom demands.”
News24 reported last week that two kidnapped Portuguese businessmen were rescued.
Six suspected kidnappers arrested in Gauteng.
The first boat was rescued last Monday and the second on Thursday. Both boats were found in Soweto.
Read | Joburg businessman kidnapper tracked down after allegedly using victim’s credit card to buy alcohol
In the first half of 2024, 54 kidnapping suspects operating in Gauteng, North West, Mpumalanga and the Free State were arrested.
Between July and September last year, there were 4,300 kidnappings, of which 2,194 took place in Gauteng.
Of these, 136 involved ransom demands and four involved extortion.
According to police, more than 200 kidnapping suspects have been arrested in the past two years.
Since the beginning of the year, the South African Police Service’s anti-kidnapping unit has demanded ransoms in nearly 80 investigations totaling more than R390 million.
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