Cape Town - Police have detailed how they rescued a Bellville lawyer who was kidnapped on Friday - 280km away in Klawer following a manhunt.
The successful operation came as recent crime stats showed that cases of kidnapping for ransom in the Western Cape were up by 7%.
The lawyer's wife reported him missing as he did not return home after work on Friday. Bellville detectives were operationalised as a result of what police said were strange circumstances of the incident.
Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said after consultation with the missing lawyer’s business partner and secretary, they visited the offices and found that the office was in many ways disturbed and certain items were also missing.
“They found a file on the desk which would be of vital importance in their investigation as it gave direct links to pursue. The investigating team immediately launched a manhunt in a bid to locate the missing person.”
Police proceeded to the address of a woman in Yale Road, Belhar, who visited the practice the previous day.
While the woman’s husband could not give an account of her whereabouts, witnesses that were questioned in the vicinity placed the woman on the crime scene when they confirmed that she was driving a white vehicle, believed to be the missing lawyer’s car, with an unknown man and two occupants.
Following the leads in the file found on the desk in the office, the officers sights were now set on another address mentioned in Klawer.
“The relevant information was circulated with SAPS officers in the West Coast region. Klawer police spotted the vehicle at an address in their policing precinct and entered the house where they rescued the missing person who was traumatised. They then arrested and detained a male and two females on a charge of kidnapping,” said Swartbooi.
Once charged the suspects are expected to appear in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on a charge of kidnapping.
Bellville CPF PRO Gerda Gerber said they were shocked that something like this happened right on their doorstep.
“This type of crime is happening everywhere, but still the community of Bellville was shocked that it happened on their doorstep.
For a while there has been an increase in the type of cases but in other areas.
“I applaud the good work and quick arrest of the culprits by our Bellville SAPS members.” She cautioned the community “to take that extra few seconds and just send a message or make a call, telling someone you're leaving for or from work or school”.
Briefing the portfolio committee on police on the third-quarter crime statistics on Friday, Police Minister Bheki Cele said in terms of kidnapping, they had focused on instances where kidnapping was the means to achieve the crime.
In terms of kidnapping for ransom, the country recorded 128 incidents, up by 42, compared with October to December 2021.
The Western Cape in particular saw a 7% increase in these cases.
Cele said there had also been 12 incidents of kidnapping for human trafficking nationally and 23 cases of extortion.
Murder meanwhile saw an increase of 10% and rape an increase of 9.8%.
The period from October to December last year saw a total 184 020 incidents reported, the highest since 2019 and up 19 067 from the same period in 2021.
Of the top 30 police stations for community-reported serious crimes nationally, Cape Town central was number one, followed by Mitchells Plain.
Ilitha Labantu said it was deeply concerned about the high prevalence of violence in South Africa.
“Stronger measures ought to be implemented by government to address crime, and as civil society organisations we appeal to our justice system to impose harsher sentences on those perpetrating these crimes and also for the government to properly implement the national strategic plan on GBVF which aims to provide a multisectoral, coherent strategic policy and programming framework to strengthen a coordinated national response,”said the organisation’s spokesperson Siyabulela Monakali.
Cape Times