Police have arrested three suspects who were involved in the kidnapping of a Gauteng businessman on Friday. Zaheer Asmal, a Vereeniging businessman, was rescued unharmed on Monday in an intelligence driven operation. Asmal is the owner of Fred’s Hardware in De Deur, south of Johannesburg.
Three suspects were arrested at the scene and will be facing charges of kidnapping and robbery with aggravated circumstances. Police have made great strides as they have arrested eight kidnappers in the last week.
Athlenda Mathe, police spokesperson, said the national crime intelligence anti-kidnapping task team has managed to make eights arrests within a week. The arrested criminals had asked for a ransom and through Intelligence were apprehended.
Also read: R1 million award for information on CIT attack
Mathe said a task team involving a police special task force and the Johannesburg metro police along with private security led a multidisciplinary operation just before midnight on Monday. “The team swooped in on the three identified houses of which one is a house in Lenasia where the kidnapped victim was found unharmed.”
The second address led to a house in Ennerdale where the police found a dark grey Toyota Hilux with a fake number plate, which was used in committing the crime. “One of the suspects arrested is a Malawian national. When police arrived at the third address in Roodepoort, they were met with gunfire. Fortunately, none of the task team members sustained injuries. One suspect, a South African national, was arrested. One unlicensed firearm was seized,” said Mathe.
The police have been able to arrest suspects who are involved in a syndicate which deals with the kidnapping of businessmen and demands a ransom. The kidnapping of the Moti brothers made headlines when the young school boys were abducted for a ransom.
Source: News24, IOL, Sowetan Live, image from News24
