RUSTENBURG: A 28-year-old man, who was abducted in Benoni earlier this month, has been rescued and five people, including an Ekurhuleni municipal traffic employee, were arrested, the SAPS said on Tuesday.
In a statement, national police commissioner General Khehla John Sitole said 28-year-old Tahseen Mateen Kardame was rescued, without any ransom being paid.
“On November 12, 2021, Mr Tahseen Mateen Kardame, 28, a Moulana (religious leader), was kidnapped outside his father's hardware franchise, in Benoni.
“The multi-disciplinary integrated task team immediately activated a new intervention which led to the rescue of Kardame.
“Two people, including an Ekurhuleni municipal traffic department employee, were arrested in Daveyton, on Monday night.
“A third person was arrested in Watteville, Benoni, on Tuesday morning.
“The investigations eventually led the team to a house in Katlehong, where the kidnapped victim was rescued, and two more men were arrested, bringing the total number of suspects arrested to five, thus far.
“The suspects are all South Africans, between 29 years and 72 years of age, of which one is a well known cash-in-transit robber, who is currently out on bail,” Sitole said.
Fifteen cellphones, three firearms, including a semi-automatic rifle, shotgun, and pistol, as well as ammunition, were recovered.
The five suspects are expected to appear in the Benoni Magistrate's Court on Thursday, facing charges of kidnapping, extortion, and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
Another kidnapping victim, Jahyr Abdula, the son of a prominent Mozambican businessman, abducted a month ago in Benoni, east of Johannesburg, has also been rescued.
He was rescued in Heidelberg, south east of Johannesburg, on Friday.
Abdula and four of his friends travelled to Johannesburg to attend a wedding, when they were abducted. His friends were released and only he remained in captivity.
IOL