Police have also not disclosed whether the victim was able to provide a description of her alleged kidnapper or kidnappers.
Communities and NGOs picket in Kempton Park after a fifth body of a woman was discovered. Picture: Hein Kaiser
Police have confirmed that a kidnapping case has been opened after a woman reported missing in Kempton Park returned alive. This, as investigators probe whether the incident is connected to the murder cases of at least five women currently under investigation in the area.
Saps confirmed that the woman had allegedly been abducted at Rhodesfield in Kempton Park. Sources indicated that the kidnapping purportedly occurred at the colloquially named Mosquito Park, around 150 metres from the Premier Hotel OR Tambo, where she is an employee. Law enforcement confirmed her workplace but would not confirm the exact location of the incident.
Police have not yet released details about how she escaped or who may have been responsible. The woman was initially reported missing before she returned and purportedly arrived at the Tembisa South police station yesterday.
A case of kidnapping was opened but, said Kempton Park Saps spokesperson Dipuo Ditshego, further information was not available.
“Currently, we don’t have the description of the vehicle (that abducted the woman) as the investigation is still premature,” she said and added that investigators were also not yet in a position to provide further information about the circumstances surrounding the alleged kidnapping.
A case of kidnapping was opened
Police have also not disclosed whether the victim was able to provide a description of her alleged kidnapper or kidnappers.
The incident comes amid heightened concern in Kempton Park following the discovery of the bodies of several women in and around the area in recent months. Police are investigating whether the cases are connected and have previously cautioned against drawing conclusions before investigations are complete.
“This is being dealt with by the national [and] provincial office. Once all the investigation and information is gathered, we will liaise back to the media with full information,” Ditshego said.
Kempton Park DA ward councillor Simon Lapping said that the woman’s survival, if the cases are connected, could provide investigators with information unavailable in the murder cases, including how she was approached, what happened after she was allegedly taken and whether anything about her account corresponds with evidence gathered in the deaths already being investigated.
“It could be a breakthrough,” he said, “but we will continue to pressure the police to prioritise this investigation. The community is living in fear, and it is spreading throughout the whole city. We cannot afford to let this slide.” Lapping added that he had confidence in the Saps’ investigative prowess and committed to assisting with community liaison.
While theories suggest that multiple assailants may be involved as opposed to a single serial killer, police said the investigation remains at an early stage.
