Gauteng cops free 47-year-old man kidnapped in Hillbrow, ’kingpin’ nabbed

Two men with one in SAPS uniform

Minister of Police Bheki Cele with Gauteng police commissioner Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela. File Picture: Jacques Naude/African News Agency (ANA)

Published Nov 22, 2021

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Pretoria – Gauteng provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela on Monday commended the multidisciplinary task team established to crack kidnapping syndicates, following the successful rescue of a man abducted in Hillbrow.

“This comes after the arrest of six men between Saturday and today (Monday) for a hijacking and kidnapping incident that occurred last week in Hillbrow,” said Gauteng SAPS spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Sello.

One of the suspects believed to be the mastermind behind several kidnapping incidents in and around Gauteng is out on bail for three other incidents of hijacking, kidnapping and extortion.

“The province has been experiencing a surge in kidnapping incidents recently. Gauteng organised crime investigations and Hillbrow detectives teamed up with the national task team that investigates kidnappings for ransom in the search for the victim that was hijacked on (Wednesday),” said Sello.

The team received information from the SAPS crime intelligence unit on the whereabouts of the victim and organised a sting operation carried out between Saturday and the early hours of Monday.

“National and provincial crime intelligence, provincial tracking unit, provincial organised crime investigations, Hillbrow detectives, as well as Ekurhuleni metro police managed to rescue the 47-year-old victim from a house in Crystal Park during the early hours of today,” said Sello.

The victim was found with no visible injuries and was taken to hospital for a medical check-up.

Sello said the 47-year-old has been safely reunited with his family.

“One suspect was arrested on Saturday and two more were arrested in different addresses in Daveyton between Sunday and early hours of today, while the other three were arrested at the house where the victim was found,” she said.

Meanwhile, Mawela has expressed relief that the victim was found unharmed.

“Hijacking and kidnappings are becoming a problem for Gauteng, but now I am glad that with the measures that we have put in place, supported by the national head office, we are starting to see positive results,” said Mawela.

“These members involved in the arrests have done an excellent job.”

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