Cape Town - A man has been arrested for kidnapping as police hunt for three others.
The four armed men allegedly stormed a shop on Old Kendal Road, Diep River, on Saturday afternoon and robbed the place before taking a 35-year-old Bangladeshi man with them. They shoved the shopkeeper into a silver VW Polo.
Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said: “Mounting police roadblocks at strategic locations is proving effective with the arrest of a kidnapping and business robbery suspect as well as the rescue of a kidnapping victim in Delft on Saturday.
“Police reports indicate that on Saturday afternoon, a 35-year-old man was kidnapped from a family business in Diep River after the shop was robbed by three male suspects.”
She said the getaway vehicle was identified when the incident was reported.
“Later in the day the same vehicle drove towards a police roadblock manned by Delft SAPS members on Symphony Way.
“Upon noticing the roadblock, the driver made a U-turn and sped off. The vigilant police officials gave chase.”
Potelwa said three occupants managed to flee, but police apprehended the driver and rescued the victim.
“The vehicle, that had false registration plates, was impounded by police. The 35-year-old arrested driver is in custody and the search for the three suspects that fled continues.”
Last week, the police rescued a kidnapped woman in Mfuleni.
The 31-year-old woman was kidnapped at Parow Industria as she left her family business, Raith Gourmet, at Tygerberg Business Park on June 2.
“Her vehicle was later discovered abandoned at NY 99 in Gugulethu after she failed to return home from work. The Task Team comprising Provincial Organised Crime investigators, Crime Intelligence, DPCI (Hawks), Special Task Force members, hostage negotiators, City of Cape Town and the provincial CSI team has been hard at work pursuing leads utilising several investigative techniques since the kidnapping was reported.”
Eight men were arrested for the kidnapping.