Six men allegedly behind the brazen kidnapping of a woman and children outside Mfuleni Police Station have applied for bail at the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
The group was nabbed in a dramatic arrest at a shopping centre in Klapmuts last week where cops rescued four hostages, including a two-year-old child.
A Daily Voice source revealed that the men allegedly took the woman and two children amid allegations that her boyfriend owed them money and demanded a R27 000 ransom.
The source says: “The boyfriend is a builder and went to Klapmuts to do a job. He spotted the suspects, who he allegedly owed money to, and ran away. He was later dropped by an e-hailing driver and the suspects got him and held him hostage.”
The man’s girlfriend then went to Mfuleni Police Station to report the incident.
The source continues: “As she was standing inside the police station, the kidnappers came right to her, it appears they followed her there. She must have been scared because she left the police station with them and once outside, they forced her into a vehicle. They also took her two-year-old child and another teen male related to her.”
The snatchers allegedly drove to Klapmuts and started contacting the families demanding R27 000 for their release.
A Provincial Anti-Kidnapping Task Team along with the Hawks, Crime Intelligence, Boland K9 unit and various other units descended on Klapmuts.
The source says: “Undercover agents spotted the vehicle of the driver, who was first kidnapped near Shoprite, and the suspects were seen at an ATM where they were withdrawing the money from the teen’s account. The officers noted that they had the hostages in the vehicle and immediately pounced on them. All six suspects were taken to Mfuleni Saps where they were charged. None of the hostages were harmed.”
The suspects were charged with kidnapping, extortion and human trafficking.
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