The unrelenting efforts of Western Cape detectives to fight extortion in this province were rewarded with the arrest of two suspects during the early hours of 22 October 2021, in Meadowlands, Johannesburg.
An intensive investigation into the circumstances of a kidnapping case where an Ethiopian national was kidnapped in Harare, Cape Town on 16 September 2021, led detectives to Gauteng where they continue their search for the victim, following demands for ransom for the victim’s safe return.
In Gauteng, our detectives partnered with Meadowlands police and conducted a raid at a storage facility in Hennessey Street in Meadowlands where a total of eleven kidnapped Ethiopian males were found.
Five of the eleven victims are from the Western Cape.
Two were kidnapped in Harare, two in Paarl and one in Worcester.
The other six victims are from other provinces, and they were reunited with their respective families.
Two suspects, aged 20 and 23, who were guarding the storage facility at the time of the raid were arrested and detained.
They are expected to make their court appearance in Orlando on Monday morning 25 October 2021, where after they will be brought to the Western Cape to face the charges against them.
The circumstances surrounding the extortion and kidnapping cases are still under investigation and the identities of the victims are not disclosed at this premature stage.
