- A 50-year-old Mozambican national has been arrested in connection with multiple kidnapping cases.
- It is alleged kidnapping cases were reported in South Africa and Mozambique.
- The police say ransom demands were made in Mozambique.
A team from more than six police stations arrested an alleged kidnapping kingpin at an upmarket estate in Centurion on Saturday evening.
The 50-year-old suspect, a Mozambican national, is alleged to be linked to multiple kidnappings in South Africa and Mozambique. The ransom demands came from Mozambique.
"In his possession, the team seized a 9mm licenced firearm, 14 9mm cartridges, five cellphones, multiple bank cards for South African banks as well as multiple SA and Mozambican SIM cards," police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said.
The team was acting on a warrant of arrest and extradition request by the government of Mozambique in July 2022.
According to a police report, there have been multiple cases where he was identified as the kingpin operating a transnational kidnapping-for-ransom ring that had been operating since 2018.
The report also indicated information was received from a confidential source about the possible location of the suspect who was moving between Gauteng, Cape Town and Mozambique.
Investigations were conducted by the Crime Intelligence's Kidnapping Unit and other role players, while multiple surveillance operations were conducted in the Western Cape, Gauteng and Mpumalanga to locate the suspect.
Mathe said he was expected to appear in the Randburg Magistrate's Court on Monday where an extradition process will immediately commence.