The Tshwane Metro Police (TMPD) on Friday rescued two people held hostage after they were robbed of R77 000 through a Facebook Market Place scam in Winterveldt, Mabopane, north of Pretoria.

According to TMPD spokesperson Sergeant Rebone Molapo, Region 1 Sector 1 Task Team Unit members in Mabopane received a tip-off from a member of the community who had witnessed a suspicious act.

“Following the information, it was discovered that the act was a hijacking and kidnapping of two victims from Midrand in Johannesburg.”

Molapo said the two men fell for a Facebook scam where an Audi A4 was advertised, and they then communicated with the seller and agreed to meet in Mabopane.

“On arrival, they were ambushed by men where they were hijacked at gunpoint.”

Molapo added that the victims were taken to a location where they were forced to transfer an amount of R77 000 into an unknown account.

“Members responded swiftly to the complaint at a location where the suspects were found holding the victims hostage.”

She added that the two victims were found and rescued unharmed, adding that three suspects were arrested and charged with hijacking, kidnapping, and extortion and were detained at a local police station.

In a separate unrelated incident on the same day (Friday, October 18), the TMPD task team unit and a tracking company successfully recovered a suspected stolen vehicle in Ga-Rankuwa Zone 15.

Molapo said a woman was hijacked by three men in Ga-Rankuwa Zone 6.

“The suspects allegedly took the woman to Ga-Rankuwa Zone 15 where they forced her to transfer money from her account to an unknown account.”

Molapo added that the suspects abandoned the victim on the field with the car, where the tracker company and TMPD officers found her.

The victim was taken to the nearest police station to open a hijacking and theft case.

Molapo said these successes highlight the ongoing efforts by the TMPD members to combat vehicle theft and save lives.

“The TMPD alerts the members of the public to be cautious and verify the information when dealing with social media adverts.”

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