Five suspects, including two South Africans, two Ugandan and one Malawian national, are expected to appear in a local court on Monday.
Gauteng police confirmed the arrest of the suspects following an intelligence-driven operation which led to the foiling of a kidnapping in Melrose Arch, north of Johannesburg, on Friday.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) crime intelligence and organised crime operatives, including the Hawks, have been working on information it received of a South African woman who was planning to have her employer kidnapped and forced to withdraw large sums of money from her business bank account.
SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda said through intelligence tactics and working closely with the target who was supposed to be kidnapped, a mock kidnapping was planned.
Mathe said the SAPS reserves the right not to go into detail on how the operation was executed as this would expose how intelligence driven operations are conducted.
“The SAPS can therefore confirm that following this successful mock kidnapping and play along to ensure the syndicate is taken down, five suspects were arrested while planning to withdraw the money that had been ‘transferred’ following the ‘kidnapping’ of this female employer,” Mathe said.
The five suspects were arrested for conspiracy to kidnap and for extortion at their meeting place in Melrose Arch.
Police successfully recovered three vehicles including a Range Rover, a Toyota Aygo and a white Polo Vivo.
Ten cellphones were also confiscated.
The National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola, has applauded the work of intelligence and organised crime unit in carefully and with precision executing a seamless operation to ensure the target's life is not jeopardised.
“This was a sensitive operation but through the experience and skill set of our organised crime and intelligence team, we have managed to break the back of this syndicate. We do believe we have foiled many other kidnappings through the takedown of this syndicate. Investigations are continuing to determine if they can be linked to other kidnappings especially for ransom”, said Masemola.
Police said this operation would not have been successful without the assistance of other stakeholders including private security and Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department.
The Star