Polokwane – Police wounded a suspected kidnapper during a shootout near Dikgale village in Limpopo after he allegedly attempted to flee with millions of rand in ransom money in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Police said the 40-year-old suspect was shot along the R81 road, between Polokwane and Mooketsi, while trying to flee with R6m in cash.
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The man and an accomplice allegedly kidnapped a businessman in his 50s from Thohoyandou, and demanded the ransom from his family. The family approached the police.
"After they ordered the family to drop... [the] ransom cash at a particular point in Polokwane... [officers] monitored that point until at about 01:00 this morning when the transaction started," Lieutenant Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said.
Manhunt launched
"During that process, the police approached them and ordered them to surrender, but they sped off and a... chase ensued."
The suspects opened fire on the police, who retaliated. The driver then lost control of the car and veered off the road.
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The suspect who had been shot was taken to hospital under police guard. He is to appear in the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court when he recovers.
The second suspect escaped and a manhunt has been launched.
The man who had been kidnapped was successfully rescued. He had been injured.
(Supplied)
