Police have arrested four Bangladeshi men for allegedly kidnapping a fellow Bangladeshi national in Touws River for ransom.
Police have arrested four Bangladeshi men for allegedly kidnapping a fellow Bangladeshi national in Touws River for ransom.
Police said the 19-year-old man was abducted and rescued on Wednesday.
Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said the suspects are expected to appear in court in due course.
“Following the kidnapping of a 19-year-old Bangladeshi man on Monday in Touws River where after a ransom was demanded, members of the Western Cape Multidisciplinary Kidnapping Task Team sprung into action in pursuit of vital information and descended on a location in the area where they rescued the hostage on Wednesday afternoon.
“Four suspects, also Bangladeshi men, were subsequently arrested and are facing kidnapping and extortion charges. The rescued man was taken to a medical facility for an assessment,” he said.
Bangladeshi national Ashraful Islam Jonny said they are living in fear.
“We are always in a fear of ‘who's the next?’ It’s not only about money, we are scared of the way they torture us to get the money they demand.
One of my friends was kidnapped and had to pay ransom to get his life back.
“Whenever we are on the road, we always have to drive carefully.
We always have to keep our eyes all around our vehicle, in case there is a car following us.”
“We ask the government to create a special anti-kidnapping team that will not be involved in what the kidnappers are doing, otherwise all this will never end,“ he said.
Anti-crime activist Hanif Loonat said: “These arrests should be more regular. From my experience this is one of many that go undetected. Many kidnappers get away with their crimes.
I am glad that the authority is taking kidnapping seriously. This is only the beginning towards a successful conviction. Many of these cases get thrown out due to corruption, collusion and an ineffective criminal justice system.”
Cape Times
Related Topics: