Staff Reporter.
A former police sergeant is among seven suspects arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and assaulting a 37-year-old man in Mpumalanga.
The victim was rescued by an army patrol at about 1am on Thursday.
All seven suspects together with the victim had been travelling along one of the main roads in KaMaqhekeza, Nelspruit, when they were pulled over by the SANDF members. The members reported that the navy blue BMW, tailed by a blue Mini Cooper just outside Komatipoort, appeared suspicious given its large number of occupants.
The vehicles were stopped for investigation. At this point, the victim appealed to the SANDF members for help, stating that he was forcefully picked up by the others who were with him from his residence and assaulted. He said that he was then shoved into the car and was being taken to an undisclosed location.
The army members then took the victim and the suspects and handed them over to the police in Tonga. They have confirmed that an investigation into the motive behind the alleged kidnapping and assault was underway.
The seven suspects – all between the ages of 22 and 43 – were charged accordingly. They are expected to appear before the Nkomazi Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 19 December 2022.
The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela applauded members of the SANDF for their vigilance and outstanding work which saved the victim’s life.
Meanwhile, police are still on a manhunt for a suspect who kidnapped a 14-year-old girl in the Eastern Cape and demanded a significant amount of money in ransom for her safe return.
The teen girl, Alulutho Phuphu, was abducted while going to a salon in town on Saturday, 10 December in the Zingqolweni Location in Lady Frere.