Hawks rescue hostage, arrest three kidnap suspects in Cape Town

Three suspects accused of transferring funds from a kidnapped victim's bank account have appeared in the Cape Town magistrate’s court.

Mlungisi Vincent Mbutu, 37, Bongani Zulu, 36 and Zwelakhe Ngwenya, 25, were arrested in Woodstock on June 14.

The Hawks said its serious organised crime investigation team, the provincial organised crime and Maitland flying squad units, the South African Banking Risk Information Centre and the Financial Intelligence Centre received information about the kidnapping.

Hawks spokesperson W/O Zinzi Hani said an analysis was made linking the information to suspicious banking activities and transfer patterns by the suspects.

“This led the team to track the hostage's phone, which was active in the Woodstock area. The team tracked the suspects’ location in Woodstock, where entry was gained into the premises,” said Hani.

“The team discovered the hostage tied up in the main bedroom. The hostage was successfully rescued and taken to hospital for examination.”

Two suspects were arrested after attempting to flee the scene. The third suspect was caught on June 15 after being found hiding in a backyard at a nearby residence.

The case was postponed to June 25.

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