Polokwane - A Sars employee, Anisa Moosa, abducted outside her uncle’s home and held for two days by her captors, who demanded R3million from her family, is back home safely after a dramatic shoot-out in which three police officers were wounded.
Expecting the loot, the abductors arrived at an arranged meeting place near Polokwane on Thursday night, with a gun pointed at Moosa’s head.
But as they advanced to where the money was, they noticed the presence of police and started shooting.
The kidnappers then vanished into the bushes, leaving the money and their suspected stolen grey VW Polo, along with an unharmed Moosa, at the scene.
Despite being shaken by the ordeal, Moosa is happy to be reunited with her family.
Anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee said Moosa, 36, was a strong woman, despite having been at the mercy of her abductors since Tuesday night last week.
Moosa, a single woman from Polokwane, was not physically harmed and her abduction was not linked to her job at the revenue services, he said.
Abramjee said the abductors had never asked Moosa to remove her niqab (veil) in the two days they held her, and had allowed her to pray.
“Anisa is a strong woman. She has been through a lot, but she is doing okay,” said Abramjee, speaking on behalf of the family.
He said the incident happened in Polokwane after 8pm on Tuesday.
“Anisa arrived at her uncle’s home. They had just opened the gate for her when three armed men appeared. They tried to push her into the back seat of her Audi A4 and her relative, Zainub, tried to pull her away, to prevent them driving off with her, but they sped off in the car.”
Abramjee said that about 30 minutes later, the family received a call from the abductors demanding a R3million ransom.
Police took over the investigation and contact between the family and the abductors continued until Thursday night, when an arrangement was made to hand over the ransom money.
“Three men arrived in a silver VW Polo. One abductor opened fire on an undercover policeman purporting to bring the ransom, while other police members, from the Special Task Team in Pretoria, were hiding. There was an exchange of gunfire and Anisa was later freed. But the abductors managed to escape on foot.”
Abramjee said Moosa had been held at a house during the ordeal.
“That’s all I can tell you at this stage.”
He believed the men were dangerous and part of a well-organised gang that might be linked to other abduction cases in Limpopo. He was confident they would be arrested.
According to a statement from the Hawks, arrangements were made for the money to be exchanged between Polokwane and Lebowakgomo on Thursday night.
At about 8pm the family, who had back-up from the Hawks and police, were on their way to the agreed spot when the kidnappers told them to stop and offload the money at Ga-Chuene near Lebowakgomo.
The statement said the kidnappers arrived at the scene and got out of their vehicle, realised police were there and started shooting.
By the time of publication, police were still searching for the men. The injured officers were receiving treatment at a hospital in Polokwane.
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