Police have appealed for public assistance to trace a Bangladeshi national kidnapped in Villiers during a hijacking before a R3m ransom demand was made.

National police issued a request for information to locate 35-year-old Nadim Hoshen or his abductors.

Hoshen was abducted on October 13 at the corner of Pearson and Main streets while in his Nissan Qashqai. Two men approached him and hijacked the vehicle with him inside, later abandoning the car about 5km away.

Family members were contacted on October 14 with a R3m ransom demand.

The suspects were driving a white Toyota Corolla, a VW Polo Classic, or a Suzuki Dzire.

Hoshen remains missing, and police have urged anyone with information to contact:

• Lieutenant Colonel Sandile Dladla on 073 226 6788
• Sergeant Nondlela Mthembu on 067 144 5017
• Information can also be submitted via the MySAPS app or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.

Spate of ransom abductions

The Soweto Urban reported about a 38-year-old man abducted in the Johannesburg CBD on August 30 was rescued unharmed in Randfontein on October 4 after suspects demanded $2m (an estimated R36m) from his family. Police arrested five suspects on kidnapping and extortion charges.

In another incident, circulated via a SAPS press release, eight suspects were arrested after allegedly forcing a man into a Toyota Quantum in Booysens, Johannesburg, on January 9 before demanding a ransom.

Police rescued the victim from Mzihlophe hostel and linked the suspects to additional kidnapping cases.

In a separate statement police said that a 49-year-old Portuguese businessman kidnapped from his Florida premises in Gauteng in June 2024 was rescued by the SAPS anti-kidnapping task team. The statement read that over the preceding six months, the team rescued 12 businessmen and six students held for ransom.

SAPS figures show 4 253 cases

Crime statistics for the fourth quarter of 2025/26, released in June, recorded 4 253 kidnapping cases across South Africa.

Gauteng accounted for more than half of all reported incidents with 2 452 cases, while KwaZulu-Natal recorded 737.

A sample analysis of 268 incidents showed that 81% of kidnappings were ransom-related, 13% involved extortion, and 6% were linked to human trafficking.