The police arrested a 23-year-old woman and a Mozambican national in Moroka, Soweto, yesterday for staging her kidnapping with the help of a Mozambican man. The duo has since been charged with kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice.

PLAYING GAMES

SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the woman was reportedly kidnapped in Randburg on the 23rd of January 2025. "Following her kidnapping, a ransom was demanded from her family to guarantee her safe return," Mathe said. She said the police gathered a multidisciplinary team, including the anti-kidnapping unit, crime intelligence, Gauteng Provincial Investigation Unit, Johannesburg Flying Squad, Randburg detectives and private security companies and gathered intelligence on the suspect's location. "The operation led the team to an identified address in Moroka where both the supposed victim and her alleged kidnapper were found. Further investigation revealed that the woman and the kidnapper had staged the kidnapping. Both were subsequently arrested," said Mathe.

A SILLY TREND

In a similar incident, a woman from Eastern Cape and her accomplice staged a kidnapping, hoping to solicit ransom money from her boyfriend. EC Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Avele Fumba said the woman's boyfriend told the police that he received disturbing images and videos of her bound and with tape covering her mouth. "The reports indicate that the boyfriend contacted the victim's sister. She confirmed receiving the same disturbing message from the same number. The matter was escalated to the Hawks for a thorough probe. Fumba said the task team launched a disruptive operation and exposed a shocking twist. "The so-called victim was allegedly in the scheme. Further investigations revealed that the victim had allegedly staged the entire kidnapping and conspired with her accomplice to extract ransom money from her loved ones, with plans to split the funds," added Fumba.