Durban - KwaZulu-Natal police have refuted claims by local private security company, Blue Security that a woman who was in the process of being kidnapped by two men in Morningside was rescued on Wednesday night by security guards.
A police spokesperson said, "We’ve checked with Berea SAPS, no such case was opened".
It came after the Daily News went to verify information distributed in a press release by Blue Security on Thursday that alleged that a woman was saved by one of their patrolling armed response officers after hearing her screams for help.
Blue Security community and media liaison officer, Andreas Mathios said in the press release that one of their officers was patrolling along Venice Road just after 18h30 on Wednesday night a woman in a Volkswagen Polo with two male occupants screamed for help.
Mathios alleged the men were arrested for alleged kidnapping and assault of the woman and taken into custody for questioning.
He had also alleged that the vehicle may have been stolen as the VIN number and licence plate did not match.
Marshall Security who had also attended the incident allegedly had a different version of events and said that the woman was assaulted by friends.
"On arrival on the scene, it was noted that members of another private security company had intercepted an alleged domestic violence situation. Two males had been apprehended by their officers. A female approximately thirty years of age was found to be acting erratically and extremely aggressive. It is believed that she was under the influence of a mind-altering substance. The female began assaulting paramedics as they attempted to assess her," Marshall Security said in a statement.
"Members of the South African Police Services intervened and the female was taken along with the two men and the vehicle they were travelling in, a silver Volkswagen Polo, to Berea SAPS for further investigation. Further questioning by the authorities revealed that the female was, in fact, a sex worker, and a dispute took place between her and her friends. The vehicle they were travelling in checked out to be not stolen and the men were released, as the female declined to open a case against them. The female was counselled with the assistance of a local trauma counselling team".