Metro cops to the rescue after Joburg woman spotted being bundled into vehicle

Johannesburg metro police have arrested two men who allegedly attempted to kidnap a woman at Gandhi Square in the Joburg CBD.

Spokesperson Xolani Fihla said officers received a call for backup on Tuesday morning.

“Upon their arrival, the officers found that two male suspects had forcefully shoved a lady inside their vehicle and as they were attempting to drive off, security personnel and two [metro police] officers saw the lady screaming.”

They managed to stop the vehicle and the suspects were apprehended and taken to Johannesburg Central police station.

Kidnappings, often for ransom, have increased over the past few months. In June, Gauteng police commissioner Lt-Gen Elias Mawela revealed that more than 1,500 kidnappings were reported in the first quarter. This was almost triple the 524 incidents during the same period last year.

Here are some of the recent kidnappings:

• On Monday police said a 25-year-old victim kidnapped for ransom was rescued 10 days after being taken.
• In the Free State, the case against three alleged kidnappers was postponed until September 6 for further investigations. The suspects allegedly kidnapped a 26-year-old man on July 19 and demanded a ransom of R30,000.
• Late last month, a Cape Town businessman, Ismail Rajah, 69, kidnapped outside his business in Parow in March, was rescued and two suspects were arrested.
• In the same month, police arrested a suspect in connection with the alleged kidnapping of Shireen Essop in Cape Town. Essop was reported missing on May 23 after she was last seen driving home from work. She was missing for almost a month until she turned up on June 11 at the Klipfontein mission station in the early hours of the morning.
• A woman, 30, from the Northern Cape was rescued on the N1 south of Johannesburg after being bundled into the boot of her car by alleged kidnappers in De Aar — more than 700km away.

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