Two kidnapping victims rescued in Gauteng, 4 alleged kidnappers in custody and one in hospital | News24

Saps’ elite Special Task Force unit rescued two kidnapping victims in Benoni on Monday afternoon. (Saps/Supplied)

• Two kidnapping victims were rescued in Gauteng on Monday.
• The men were allegedly kidnapped in Benoni on Sunday.
• One of the alleged kidnappers was shot dead, four were taken into custody, and a sixth was wounded in the shootout.

Two
kidnapping victims have been rescued in the latest operation aimed at cracking
down on kidnapping syndicates in Benoni.

During the
operation, four alleged kidnappers were taken into custody; one was wounded in
a shootout and taken to hospital, and a sixth was shot dead.

The South
African Police Service’s elite Special Task Force (STF) unit rescued the
victims at an informal settlement in Crystal Park, Benoni, on Monday afternoon,
according to police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe.

Mathe said:

She added
that on Monday afternoon, the team “pounced on the kidnappers”, and a
shootout ensued.

“One
kidnapper was shot and killed, one was wounded and taken to hospital, and the
other four were arrested and taken into police custody,” she said.

“SAPS
assures communities that may be victims of this type of crime that it has the
necessary expertise and capabilities to intercept and take down syndicates
involved in kidnappings where ransom demands are made.”

News24
reported last week that two kidnapped Portuguese businessmen were rescued, and
six alleged kidnappers were arrested in Gauteng.

The first
was rescued last Monday, and the second on Thursday. Both were found in Soweto.

READ | Joburg businessman’s kidnapper traced after allegedly using victim’s credit card to buy booze

In the
first half of 2024, 54 alleged kidnappers who operated in Gauteng, the North
West, Mpumalanga and the Free State were arrested.

Between
July and September last year, 4 300 kidnappings took place, with 2 194 of those
in Gauteng.

Ransoms
were demanded in 136 cases, and four were linked to extortion.

According
to police, in the past two years, more than 200 alleged kidnappers have been
arrested.

Since the
start of the year, more than R390 million has been demanded in a string of
ransoms in almost 80 SAPS Anti-Kidnapping Unit investigations.