A hostage was rescued on Friday by the Cape Town Hawks after they tracked the victim’s cell phone signal to Woodstock.
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Western Cape Hawks spokesperson, Warrant Officer Zinzi Hani, reported that the team received information around 7pm on Friday regarding a kidnapping.
‘Upon receiving the information, analysis was made and linking the information to suspicious banking activities and transfer patterns by the suspects to various banks. This led the team to tracking the hostage’s phone which was active in the Woodstock area,’ said Hani.
After tracking the location, the Hawks gained entry to a house where they found the victim tied up in the main bedroom. The victim was subsequently taken to the hospital for examination.
Two suspects were arrested the same day. On Saturday, a third suspect was found hiding in the backyard of a nearby residence.
The suspects, aged between 33 and 37 years, are expected to appear in the Cape Town Regional Court on Tuesday on charges of kidnapping and extortion.
Meanwhile, the provincial head of the Hawks, Major General Mathipa Makgato, urged residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities, such as kidnapping.
Earlier this month, four people were arrested in connection with the alleged kidnapping of two Bangladesh nationals on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast.
‘The kidnappers contacted a relative of the victim and demanded a ransom of R800 000.00.
‘A case of kidnapping was reported at Margate police station, and the case docket was allocated to the Hawks members.
‘During the course of investigation and negotiations, a ransom of R115 000.00 was paid on 1 May, and the victim was released the following day,’ said Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo.
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Picture: Jose P. Ortiz / Unsplash
