Illegal Ethiopian duo arrested for kidnapping of man (20) in Giyani
The two men were arrested in Norwood, Johannesburg and face nine charges of human trafficking after eight other victims were found locked in a single room.
LIMPOPO – Two illegal Ethiopian nationals are expected to appear before the Giyani Magistrate’s Court on Monday (September 18) after their arrest in connection with the kidnapping of a fellow countryman (20) on September 9.
The duo, aged 20 and 22-years-old, were arrested this morning in Norwood, Johannesburg during a sting operation that was executed by the Limpopo Provincial Organised Crime Unit, the Giyani Crime Intelligence Unit and the National Special Task Force.
Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the victim, who is also an Ethiopian national, was kidnapped in Giyani before the suspects demanded an R80 000 ransom from the man’s relatives.
“The matter was reported to the local police who opened a kidnapping case and began their investigations. These investigations led the police to Norwood where the team followed up on information about the suspects at a particular location,” his statement read.
The premises was raided by the team and the victim was found locked in a single room with eight other males.
“The police also found two males who were said to be feeding and guarding the victims and they were placed under arrest at the scene.”
Ledwaba said seven cellphones were seized at the scene and that the other victims are all believed to be Ethiopians aged between 20 and 23-years-old.
“These victims are believed to have also been kidnapped but they were unable to provide more information about their presence at the location as they are also in the country illegally,” he said.
One of the victims who had been kidnapped for more than three months was later admitted to a local hospital for medical treatment due to sickness.
Ledwaba said preliminary investigations revealed that the other eight victims were kidnapped for a period of 10 to 15 days and that their ransoms were never paid to the kidnappers before being rescued by the police.
“The arrested suspects will proceed to Gauteng after their appearance in Giyani where they will face nine charges of human trafficking. Police investigations continue,” he concluded.
