The Hawks expect more arrests to be made as a 34-year-old suspect, believed to be a member of a syndicate that is responsible for yet another kidnapping in the Western Cape, is expected to appear in the Paarl Magistrate’s Court.
His arrest comes after the kidnapping of a Cape Town family in August.
They were subsequently rescued the following day by a multi-disciplinary Anti-Kidnapping Task Team, consisting of the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation, Provincial Organised Crime, Hostage Negotiation Team and Crime Intelligence near Philippi East. Hawks believe more arrests are imminent.
Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said reports indicate the four victims, all family members, left Kuils River on their way to Helderstroom Prison in Caledon, where the father works as a prison warden.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicle they were driving was later found abandoned in Endlovini informal settlement in Khayelitsha. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of R100 000 per person, totalling R400 000 from the family's brother. They instructed him to pay R100 000 per person and not to involve the police,” she said.
The hostages were released around 4.30am, near Philippi East on August 24 when a police vehicle from Philippi East saw them and transported the family to Kuils River.
“There was no money paid by the brother of the hostages, but kidnappers only managed to transfer an amount of R16 000 from the hostages accounts. The reason for the release of the hostages is that the kidnappers were already identified and while being traced by the police, there was a shoot-out between police and kidnappers on August 24 and that was a real threat to them hence they released the hostages,” said Hani.
Meanwhile Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile has lauded the investigating officer in the case involving kidnapper and extortionist Nkosinathi Emmanuel Nqaba, who was recently handed a 15-year jail sentence by the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court.
Detailing the incident for which Nqaba was arrested, police spokesperson Anelisiwe Manyana said the complainant in the case had received a call from an unknown number on October 15 last year.
“It is alleged that the victim and her friends were picked up by a red Ford Fiesta Figo later. When they were driving in Steve Biko (road) another vehicle blocked them off and three males disembarked the vehicle and forced the three girls into their vehicle at gunpoint.”
Their driver belonging to e-hailing company Uber, was also hald at gunpoint, said Manyana.
“They first took the girls to an unknown flat where they kept them for about two hours before they were moved to a second stronghold until the next day. On Thursday morning, one of the victims was taken to a bank in Rondebosch where she was forced to transfer money into four different accounts where after they were dropped in Baden Powell Drive, where they found the red ford Figo Uber vehicle. They found the driver of the Uber vehicle locked in the boot. The victims reported their ordeal to members who passed by in a police vehicle,” she said.
Following his arrest and being kept at Harare police station in Khayelitsha, Nqaba had failed in his attempt to be released on bail.
He subsequently pleaded guilty to kidnapping and extortion and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Cape Times