Kidnapping of Mozambican businessman caught on camera

MAPUTO – The kidnapping of a managing director of one of the 100 biggest companies in broad daylight on Tuesday was captured on a security camera. The footage was placed on social media and has since been viewed and shared numerous times.

The trend of kidnapping wealthy businessmen and making exorbitant ransom demands has been plaguing Mozambique since 2011.

Managing director of Hariche Group, Mr Hariche Arquissandas, became the latest victim and was snatched shortly after having arrived at his home in Bairro Tri Unso in Costa do Sol. As can be seen on the video footage which was recorded by a security camera at his home, the entire ordeal lasted less than a minute.

Hariche Group is one of Mozambique’s leading distributors of steel and building materials. According to a report in a local newspaper, A Verdade, Hariche Group Lda is one of the 100 biggest companies in Mozambique.

Mr Carlos Carvalho, administrator of Moz Info on Facebook, is a neighbour of Arquissandas. He received the footage captured by the security camera a mere five minutes after the incident and uploaded it onto Moz Info in an attempt to apprehend the perpetrators.

It shows Arquissandas arriving at his home and waiting for the gate to open. It was at about 13:00 and he arrived home for lunch as is his daily routine. Three men can be seen walking in the house’s direction further down the street. As Arquissandas drives in, they suddenly start running.

Just before the gate closes, one of them jumps inside the premises. The gate opens again and his two accomplices also get into the yard. Another vehicle stops outside in front of the gate. It can then be seen how Arquissandas is being dragged out by two suspects and shoved into the getaway vehicle. All suspects jump inside and the vehicle drives off.

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Carvalho said the police have been informed and are investigating the case. “There is no news yet. The perpetrators usually wait a week before they contact the relatives from the victim’s cellphone and communicate their demands,” he said.

According to the report in A Verdade, three businessmen were kidnapped in Maputo last month. Although Lowvelder only became aware of the spate of kidnappings in 2013, A Verdade stated that it had actually begun in 2011. It not only occurs in Maputo, but also in Matola, Beira and Nampula.

The newspaper said the spate of kidnappings has a very negative effect on investments in Mozambique and that it resulted in the decline of the value of meticas against that of the American dollar.

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“I suspect that this might have been the first incident this month of a lot more to follow,” Carvalho said. He added that he had been informed that victims of these kidnappings are often known to another.

“The kidnappers use their victims to direct them to one another. They would pressure them to disclose information about another possible victim. It is also suspected that the kidnappers might involve bank employees as ransom figures are often exactly what is in a victim’s bank account,” he said.

Lowvelder reported in 2013 about wealthy Mozambican families seeking asylum in South Africa after having been targeted by kidnappers. One of the first kidnappings Lowvelder reported on, was that of a nine-year-old boy, Rudi Tezindi, son of the director of project development for Petromoc, Mrr Tito Tezindi.

He had been snatched as he dropped off at school in October that year and the kidnappers demanded a ransom of US$1 million. Three other sons of prominent businessmen were abducted shortly after.

The kidnappings continued throughout 2014 and Mr Sheikh Ameen Udeen, president of the Islamic Council of Mozambique, told Lowvelder that people were living in fear as they didn’t know who would be next.

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