Gauteng police, together with Interpol, have arrested a wanted Mozambican 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.
Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, the police spokesperson said a multidisciplinary team led by members of the Trilateral Planning Cell (TPC) and Interpol acted on a warrant of arrest and extradition requested by the Mozambican government for the capture of Esmael Malude Ramos Nangy.
“In his possession, the team seized a 9mm licensed firearm, 14 9mm cartridge, five cellphones, multiple bank cards for South African Banks as well as multiple SA and Mozambican SIM cards,” Mathe said.
The team was acting on a warrant of arrest and extradition request by the government in Mozambique in July 2022.
According to a police report, there have been multiple cases where the suspect was identified as the kingpin operating a transnational kidnapping-for-ransom ring that he 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 C rime Intelligence’s Kidnapping Unit along with other role players, while multiple surveillance operations were conducted in the Western Cape, Gauteng and Mpumalanga to locate the suspect.
Mathe said the suspect is expected to appear in the Randburg Magistrates Court on Monday to face charges of kidnaping and ransom.
Source: News24, The Citizen, Eyewitness News, Times Live, image from Twitter: @Abramjee