Kidnapped man returned
|Published
SAFE HOME: Akter Prodhan, 37, back with family
Fourteen days after a kidnapping in Mitchells Plain went viral on social media, a Cape Town business owner has been reunited with his family.
Akter Prodhan, owner of Cheaper Chips Cash and Carry, was snatched in Wespoort Road in Eastridge on August 26.
In a video that circulated on social media, the 37-year-old was seen forced into the back of a car by three men before they sped off. Days later, more cellphone footage emerged showing a badly gemoer Prodhan, pleading for his life.
“If you want to save me, you can save me,” Prodhan said.
“Send money. Don’t talk anything and don’t talk to the police ... Just talk to the boss.”
One of the kidnappers can then be heard saying: “R20 million, I want R20 million!”
A family member, who wanted to remain anonymous, confirmed to Weekend Argus that Prodhan was home safe.
A source told the Daily Voice that Prodhan was badly injured and has been hospitalised.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg said the circumstances surrounding his release remained the subject of an ongoing police investigation.
Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis told Weekend Argus he welcomed Prodhan’s safe return but warned of the increase in kidnappings in the metro.
“We are all concerned about the rising trend of this type of crime. We’ve proposed that the Saps form a dedicated kidnapping task team in the province to crack the organised crime rings who are doing this.”
Last month, five-year-old Shahnawaaz Asghar was kidnapped at his Kensington home while on the way to school.
The laaitie was released a few days later. It has not been revealed whether his family paid a ransom or not.
Weekend Argus