PTA kidnapped Woman (30) found in North West shack
The mother was kidnapped by at least two men who at the time of the incident were impersonating police officials.
Police are on the hunt for a man who allegedly disguised himself as a police official, which led to the kidnapping of a 30-year-old woman in Pretoria, on Tuesday.
This comes as police arrested one of the kidnappers on Wednesday, after he was found guarding the woman at an informal dwelling in the North West.
Police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe said the mother was safely reunited with her family.
This after a multidisciplinary team consisting of members in the SAPS swooped in on her kidnappers in a shack in Kgabaletsane in the Klipgat policing precinct in the North West province.
“On Tuesday, members from the National Crime Intelligence Unit, National Organised Crime Unit, local and district detectives from Tshwane, as well as members of the Tactical Response Teams (TRT), members of the Hartebeespoort Dam police station and National hostage negotiators worked around the clock to find the mother that had been kidnapped from her home in Atteridgeville, Pretoria,” said Mathe.
She said the mother was kidnapped by at least two men, who at the time of the incident, were impersonating police officials.
“During the kidnapping ordeal, her kidnappers made contact with the victim’s brother demanding a ransom.”
She said the victim’s car was also found by a vehicle tracking company.
This comes after Kormorant reported that Tumisang Mokgatle, a mother of a baby, was kidnapped and driven to Hartbeespoort where her white Volkswagen Polo was abandoned in Ifafi around 09:00.
According to eyewitnesses on the scene, a white Audi, followed by the Volkswagen drove into Mauser Street and stopped.
“We heard a woman scream in the Audi.”
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A man then jumped out of the white Volkswagen Polo and got into the Audi, and the car sped off in the direction of the R511,” an eyewitness said to Kormorant.
Mokgatle was kidnapped in Atteridgeville shortly after 08:00.
According to her brother, Dineo Mokgatle, he received a call from Tumishang a while later, saying she was with men who said they were police.
“I even spoke to one, and he told me they were from the police’s tracing unit and there was something wrong with Tumi’s car,” he said.
He said Tumi probably realised that something was amiss when the bogus policemen drove with her on the N4.
They received a message from her that she thinks she is being kidnapped.
“We could not reach her after that.”
White Volkswagen Polo was abandoned in Ifafi around 09:00.
A tracker company was alerted and traced her vehicle to Beethoven Street in Hartbeespoort.
It was abandoned in Mauser Street soon after and the kidnappers sped away with Tumi.
The family traced her phone to where it was thrown out of the car near the Total fuel station close by.
While her brother was at her abandoned car, he received a call from a Zulu-speaking man demanding a ransom.
“He did not say anything more and put down the phone. He has not called back. We don’t know what is happening. We are just praying to get my sister back,” her brother said at that time.
Mathe said immediately after the ransom was made, police and the team assembled and mobilised the 72-hour activation plan.
“The multidisciplinary team intensified its efforts and followed up on several leads. Just after midnight the victim was found guarded by one of her kidnappers in a shack in Klipgat.
“The victim was immediately rescued and taken for counselling and debriefing by the SAPS hostage negotiators.”
The National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Khehla Sitole has since commended the multidisciplinary team for reuniting the victim with her family, safe and unharmed.
“The 72-hour activation plan has yielded positive results. Within hours after the crime was committed, our teams have managed to secure the life of this young woman and ensured she is back home safe and unharmed with her family. Our work is not done, we are hot on the heels of the accomplice,” said General Khehla Sitole.
Police reminded the public that they have a right to request any person alleging to be a police officer to identify themselves by means of producing an SAPS appointment certificate bearing a photo, rank and date of appointment of the member in question.
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