Cape Town - Two men are expected to appear in the Orlando Magistrate’s Court in Johannesburg today on charges of kidnapping and extortion, following their arrest over the weekend for allegedly abducting 11 Ethiopian nationals.
The suspects who have been identified by police as Ethiopians were apprehended guarding a storage facility in Hennessey Street, in Meadowlands where the victims were found and rescued by police officials.
Police spokesperson Andre Traut said unrelenting efforts of Western Cape detectives to fight extortion in the province led to the arrest of the suspects in Meadowlands, on Saturday morning.
“An intensive investigation into the circumstances of a kidnapping case where an Ethiopian national was kidnapped in Harare in September led detectives to Gauteng where they continued their search for the victim, following demands for ransom for the victim’s safe return.
“In Gauteng, our detectives partnered with Meadowlands police and conducted a raid at a storage facility in Hennessey Street where 11 kidnapped Ethiopian males were found. Five of the 11 victims are from the Western Cape.
“Two were kidnapped in Harare, two in Paarl and one in Worcester. The other six victims are from other provinces, and they were reunited with their respective families.”
After their court appearance in Gauteng, the two suspects are set to be transported back to the Western Cape, where they will appear in court once again for their respective roles in the kidnapping and extortion syndicate.
“Police arrested two Ethiopian suspects aged 20 and 23-years-old, who were found guarding the storage facility at the time of the raid. They are scheduled to appear in court in Orlando on Monday morning and then be brought to the Western Cape to face the charges against them.”
“The circumstances surrounding the extortion and kidnapping cases are still under investigation and the identities of the victims are not disclosed at this premature stage,” said Traut.