Six suspects between the ages of 33 and 41 are expected to appear in court following their arrest on charges of kidnapping, extortion, hijacking as well as human trafficking.
Alarm was raised with Mfuleni police about six unknown suspects who kidnapped an e-hailing driver in Klapmuts and then forcefully removed a 36-year-old women and her two-year-old child from a residence in Mfuleni on Wednesday 13 December 2023, demanding a ransom. Police promptly responded and subsequently activated an integrated operation led by the multi-disciplinary investigation unit.
Information at their disposal led them to Klapmuts where the team traced the vehicle of the e-hailing driver including the vehicle of the suspects. The police members stayed in close proximity to the venue. The vehicles left the premises at around 22:00 and drove to a nearby shopping complex with police in pursuit. When the suspects approached a nearby bank with one of the victims at their side, under the pretences to withdraw the ransom, the police members moved in and arrested the six males and rescued the victims.
As part of the ongoing investigations into this case and other similar cases, organised crime detectives are hard at work trying to establish if the arrested suspects can be linked in any way to other crimes.
Communities are urged to report suspicious activity or crime to the South African Police Service by calling Crime Stop on 08600 10111. For extortion related complaints the communities are advised to utilise the SAPS Western Cape toll-free number 0800 31 44 44.