Police arrested a person in connection with the kidnapping of a businessman in Johannesburg. (SAPS/Facebook)
- Another kidnapped businessman has been rescued in Johannesburg.
- He is the second to be rescued this week, and the 13th since the start of the year.
- Five people have been arrested.
A Portuguese businessman who was kidnapped in South Gate, Johannesburg, last week, has been reunited with his family in the police’s second rescue operation this week.
The butchery owner was found at Nancefield Hostel in Soweto on Thursday night, according to police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe.
“An intelligence-driven operation led by the South African Police Service, Special Task Force (STF) unit has rescued a Portuguese businessman from Nancefield hostel in Soweto where he was being held captive,” she said.
“The man was kidnapped for ransom. No payment was made as a direct result of police acting swiftly. As soon as the matter was brought to the attention of the SAPS, a team was assembled, and the team worked around the clock to find the victim alive,” Mathe added.
Two people believed to be the drivers of the getaway vehicles used in the kidnapping were also arrested on Thursday.
READ | Yet another kidnapped businessman rescued by police in Joburg
In addition, one person was arrested at the hostel
After police followed up on information and visited a house in White City, Soweto, two more people were arrested. The businessman’s bank cards and wallet were allegedly found in their possession.
This comes after a 49-year-old businessman, also Portuguese, was rescued from a house in Soweto on Monday after he was kidnapped on Friday.
Police arrested one of his alleged captors in Turffontein.
The person is believed to belong to a syndicate which is responsible for at least four other kidnappings of businessmen in Johannesburg.
National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola has applauded officers for their work in locating the victims.
He said:
Our dedicated teams remain relentless in their pursuit to ensure they rescue victims.
He added that since January, 13 businessmen and at least six students had been rescued without ransom payments being made.
In addition, “more than 200 kidnappers have been arrested” in the past two years, according to the commissioner.
“In a period of six months, more than 54 kidnappers operating in Gauteng, North West, Mpumalanga and Free State have been arrested.”
