Kidnapped businessman rescued, three held

Kidnapped businessman Mustapha Goolam has been found alive. Picture: Supplied

Kidnapped businessman Mustapha Goolam has been found alive. Picture: Supplied

Published Dec 7, 2016

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Cape Town – A kidnapped Bangladeshi businessman has been rescued and is safely back at home.

Cops have arrested three men after tracing missing Mustapha Goolam, 38, to a house in Khayelitsha.

Hanif Loonat, Cluster Chairperson of the Mitchells Plain Community Policing Forum, confirmed the arrest on Tuesday last night.

“Mustapha has been found alive, we have arrested three people,” he said.

Mustapha was apparently unharmed and after making a statement at the Lansdowne Police station. He was given a medical examination and allowed to go home.

The businessman said he was not ready to speak to the media yet.

Earlier, Loonat said a private investigator has been called in to help find the businessman after his kidnappers demanded R10 million for his safe return.

It is not clear what role the PI played in finding Mustapha.

The 38-year-old was abducted outside of his shop, Food Town, located between Zeekoe Road and 5th Avenue, Lotus River, on Sunday night while locking up.

Witnesses say two men in a gold colour Toyota Corolla snatched the father of three and sped off.

Mustapha fought back and dropped his cellphone in the scuffle.

The kidnappers contacted his relatives twice, first demanding a ransom of R11 million, before bringing it down to R10 million.

According to sources, Mustapha owns “more than four businesses” on the Cape Flats.

Loonat is assisting the organisation BIP (Bangladesh Indian Pakistani Committee), formed to protect foreign businessmen from criminal elements, of which Mustapha was a committee member.

He said police have formed a crack unit to investigate the kidnappings of foreign businessmen, while a private investigator came on board.

Loonat previously said they believed the kidnappers were part of a syndicate operated by foreign businessmen of a particular nationality.

“I have brought a private investigator on board as we are sure this is the work of one nationality and we are following leads,” he says.

Mustapha’s kidnapping has startling similarities to that of businessman, Naushad Deshmukh Khan, 46, who was abducted while shutting up his clothing shop Khans in Haji Ebrahim Crescent, Athlone, last month.

Khan also called home a few days later, telling his family his kidnappers demanded £20 million (R338 million) for his safe return.

Khan is still missing.

Daily Voice

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