MBOMBELA – Five men appeared in court this week after allegedly kidnapping a six-year-old boy and demanding a ransom of R1 million from his family.
The suspects – two Pakistani nationals and three South Africans – were charged with kidnapping and extortion in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
They are Messrs Umar Shazad (30), Hammad Razad (26), Khothatso Kgaphoca (21), Nthanthla Magagula (21) and Petros Malapane (21).According to Col Leonard Hlati, provincial police spokesman, the boy, a pupil of Valencia Islamic, was picked up on Friday by someone who had indicated that they were a relative of his.
At approximately 19:30, his father received a phone call and R1 million was demanded for his release. He notified police and an investigation was launched. On Saturday at 09:24, he received an SMS demanding that he speed up the process. Police tracked down the suspects’ location and negotiators established contact with them. It was agreed that the boy’s father would meet the suspects at a shopping area in Mashishing.
However, they decided to move the meeting to the town’s graveyard. On the way there, police came across their vehicle and followed it. The suspects sped off into the bush and absconded the vehicle. They fled on foot with the boy. It was when they had tried to return to the vehicle that they were arrested by the police.
The boy was rescued. Mr Dawood Nanavati, a friend of the family, expressed his gratitude towards the police, “They did a fantastic job. It took them no more than 24 hours to rescue the child and they succeeded. It is now up to the justice system to uphold this success story. It must not fail us.”
To criminals, I have the following message: “crime does not pay. This is the message that they must hear.”
