Suspects arrested in Gauteng after 14-year-old kidnapped in Mpumalanga

Five suspects, including two women, who allegedly kidnapped a 14-year-old girl in Kriel in Mpumalanga and threatened to kill her are in police custody. 

The suspects, aged between 23 and 41, allegedly kidnapped the teenager on Monday and called the girl’s mother soon afterwards, threatening to kill her if police were alerted. 

Mpumalanga police spokesperson Col Donald Mdhluli said two constables were deployed to assist in tracing the suspects, which they did the next day. 

“They cornered four of them in Vereeniging in Gauteng on Tuesday afternoon. The girl was found unharmed.”

He said the suspects arrested in Gauteng are three men and one woman, while the fifth suspect, a woman aged 30, was arrested in Kriel, also on Tuesday.  

The suspects are facing charges relating to kidnapping and extortion.

Mdhluli said police cannot rule out the possibility the suspects may have been involved in other kidnapping-related incidents. 

“The investigation will also focus on previously reported cases of kidnapping, with the potential to add more charges as the investigation continues.” 

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