Durban — A private security company in eThekwini has warned the youth to be vigilant following the alleged attempted abduction of a teen girl in Merebank, a suburb south of Durban on Monday afternoon.
PT Alarms spokesperson Dhevan Govindasamy said that a teenage girl was almost abducted on Chenab Road in Merebank by unknown males travelling in a white minibus taxi.
“The girl quickly ran to a local supermarket for safety and protection,” Govindasamy said.
He said the shop owner contacted the PT Alarms Tactical unit, and PT Tactical officers immediately responded.
“The teenager was visibly traumatised. A search was conducted, but there was no sign of the perpetrators,” Govindasamy said.
He urges residents, especially females, both young and mature to be alert and refrain from walking alone.
“There is safety in numbers. Inform family members or neighbours when you are departing and provide a destination. Providing information about your whereabouts is a means of enabling family and friends to check on the safety and well-being of an individual,” Govindasamy said.
“Please do not allow little children to wander alone in the yard or on the streets. Children must be supervised.
“Street patrollers and residents must take note of suspicious persons and unknown vehicles lurking in the area and immediately inform your security service provider and the police,” Govindasamy concluded.
Meanwhile, on Monday, sister publication The Mercury reported that a shop owner from Kranskop, near Greytown in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, his son, and two staff members were kidnapped on Thursday, according to Magma Security & Investigation owner Shaheen Suleiman.
In a statement released on Saturday, Suleiman said that on January 5, 2023, at approximately 9am, there had been a report of a kidnapping in Kranskop.
He said a joint operation involving Magma Security, Pietermaritzburg Hostage Negotiators, members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the Kranskop and Greytown SAPS, and Tracker Connect had been put in place.
“A shop owner, his son, and two staff members were taken along with their White Toyota Hilux,” said Suleiman.
According to Suleiman, the family of the victims approached Magma Security & Investigation to assist them with investigating the incident, carrying out negotiations, and ensuring the safe return of the victims.
“After intense negotiations, the four victims were released in the early hours of Friday morning and returned to their families,” he said.
Police confirmed the incident.
Daily News