Two suspects have been nabbed in connection with the alleged abduction‚ rape‚ sexual exploitation and trafficking of a 17-year-old Lichtenburg girl.
Captain Tlangelani Rikhotso in the North West said an operation to save the girl was carried out by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Unit‚ assisted by the Mahikeng Tactical Response Team.
She was allegedly abducted at a hiking spot in Lichtenburg. It was not immediately clear when this occurred. This week the Hawks acted on a tip-off and‚ with the assistance of the TRT‚ went to the suspected house unannounced and arrested the two suspects.
“The young girl was found inside the house‚ which is alleged to be a prostitution den.”
She was rescued and taken to a place of safety‚ Rikhotso said. The two suspects‚ aged 20 and 22‚ appeared briefly in the Lichtenburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. They were held in custody until their next appearance on June 27.
The provincial head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (the Hawks)‚ Major General Linda Mbana‚ urged the community “not to turn a blind eye on situations such as these”. Reporting these kinds of crimes could potentially save a life‚ said Mbana.
