SAPS rescue kidnapped man in intelligence-led operation

A man was rescued in an intelligence–driven operation led by Johannesburg district commissioner Major General Nhlanhla Kubheka and various SAPS units on January 17.

The man was kidnapped on January 9 while travelling with his wife from work towards Booysens.

Four armed men in a Toyota Quantum approached them, forcefully put him into their vehicle, and drove off, leaving his wife behind. She immediately called the police.

A case of kidnapping was opened at the Kliptown Police Station, and the hunt for the victim began. After the kidnapping, the family started receiving ransom demands. It was established that several withdrawals were made from the victim’s bank account.

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Through intelligence and technology, the men’s cellphones were traced, establishing that they operated in the Jeppe, Nancefield and Mzimhlophe hostels.

They were arrested at the Jeppe Hostel and linked to two other kidnapping cases opened last year in Jeppe and Diepsloot.

These arrests led to four more – three in Diepsloot and one in Orlando – where the SAPS found an unlicensed firearm.

The victim has since been released from the Mzimhlophe Hostel, where he was kept, and reunited with his family.

The suspects appeared in the Lenasia Magistrate’s Court on January 19 on charges of kidnapping and extortion.