A 25-year-old woman from Strand is recovering at home after being rescued from her alleged kidnappers nearly a month ago.
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According to police, the victim was kidnapped during a house robbery in Strand on January 26.
Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said officials, following up on leads, conducted a take-down operation in Khayelitsha last week and discovered the victim in a building in Site B.
The rescue operation was carried out by a SAPS multidisciplinary team that included the anti-kidnapping investigation task team, the provincial operations command combat unit, Strand detectives, the provincial hostage negotiation team, crime intelligence and the Hawks, he said.
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On Thursday, the investigation team descended on a property off Mew Way, where officials discovered two firearms and 200 rounds of ammunition in various calibres.
‘Police arrested a 29-year-old suspect and seized the firearms, ammunition and two tortoises, kept without a permit. Police also found small amounts of drugs, which they seized.’
After raiding the initial property, police went to a nearby location, where they discovered the kidnapped victim. ‘Members rescued the victim and in the process arrested a 22-year-old female suspect,’ he said.
The suspects will appear in the Khayelitsha Magistrates’ Court once charged.
Between October and December 2023, police recorded over 4 000 kidnapping cases across the country, which is approximately 453 more than the same period in 2022.
Police Minister Bheki Cele stated in the release of the third-quarter crime statistics for 2023/24 that kidnapping for ransom has become a lucrative commodity for organised crime in South Africa.
‘The SAPS continues to identify and arrest groupings linked to kidnappings with ransom demands. More than 300 suspects linked to these kidnappings have been arrested the last two years.’
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Picture: Anastase Maragos / Unsplash