Durban - A brazen gang that kidnapped and held for ransom several millionaires in Maputo, Mozambique, are now believed to be operating in South Africa.
Last week they were apparently behind the kidnapping of Mehboob Valimamade, 54, from outside his home in Sherwood as he returned from mosque.
Valimamade holds both South African and Mozambican passports and runs an import and export company. His daughter saw the incident. He opened the gate to enter the premises and, as he was getting out of his vehicle, the gang overpowered him, pushed him into the back seat of a VW and sped off.
It is alleged the kidnappers have contacted the family and demanded payment. They would not confirm the amount, but the precedent set by similar kidnappings over the years suggests figures running into millions of dollars.
Several businessmen moved to South Africa after a spate of high profile kidnappings in the Mozambique capital. It started in about 2011, with wealthy businessmen and their children being targeted.
The Sherwood incident is the first kidnapping known to have taken place in South Africa.
Police spokeswoman Lieutenant Nqobile Gwala confirmed the incident.
A picture of Valimamade was circulated on social media by the police with an appeal for the public to assist in finding him.
“No arrests have been made and investigations are continuing. Anyone with information should come forward,” said Gwala.
Valimamade’s family did not want to speak to the media.
However, sources close to the family said they feared for his life because several incidents in the past had ended in tragedy. They are trying to meet the demands of the kidnappers.
Meanwhile, other Mozambican families living in South Africa are now also living in fear.
One family, who own a business in Durban, said they fled Mozambique because they felt they were under threat. They asked to remain anonymous.
“It was scary to live in fear because we didn’t know who their next targets would be.
“We owned a business too and we were easy targets, so we had to do something about it. We decided to leave to protect ourselves and our families.
“But it seems like it doesn’t matter whether you live there (in Mozambique) or not, anymore.”
It has been claimed that many kidnappings were not reported because the families were afraid to go to the Mozambique authorities.
“The kidnappers would threaten them, saying that if they were to report them to the police, the worst would happen,” said the Mozambican businessman.
Despite several attempts to contact Maputo police spokesman Orlanda Mudumane, he had not responded by the time of going to press.
The kidnappings:
* In November, it was reported that an Indian businessman had been kidnapped in broad daylight, outside his home in Maputo. The victim is the owner of the Hariche Group, one of the 100 largest companies in the country. The kidnapping was caught on film, which is on the Sunday Tribune’s Facebook page. The man was found 10 days later by the police.
* In October, three other businessmen were kidnapped in Maputo. One of them was in the hands of his kidnappers for more than 40 days.
* In February, two Portuguese nationals were kidnapped and held for ransom.
* Earlier this year, there were reports of a teenager being killed after he was kidnapped near Beira. He was held for a $30 000 ransom.
Sunday Tribune
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