A man and his two children who said they had been abducted a day earlier by three Nigerian men arrived unharmed at a police station in Mpumalanga on Thursday morning.
Colonel Donald Mdhuli said: “Today, Thursday, 23 December 2021 at about 06:50 the husband and the children arrived at the police station and told the police that they were kidnapped by three Nigerian nationals who dropped them at Thubelihle location in Kriel and drove off with his vehicle.”
The report has prompted police in Mpumalanga to launch a manhunt for the trio.
Colonel Mdhuli said only R10 000 rand had been paid of the R50 000 ransom demanded by the kidnappers.
Recounting events leading up to the kidnapping, Colonel Mdhuli said the family’s ordeal started on Wednesday after the complainant went to pick up his wife at her workplace at about 19:00.
When he arrived he was told she was still busy. Rather than wait around he went back home.
However, when the wife finished work and called her husband she said there was no answer on his phone.
She decided to walk home.
On her arrival at home, she noticed that things were “upside-down” in the house. There was no one home and their car was missing.
The wife told the police that her cellphone rang and it showed the call was from her husband’s number.
But when she answered the phone there was a strange person on the line. The caller told her that her husband and two kids were with him.
The kidnapper demanded that she send him R50 000 before he releases them. Panicking, the woman said she managed to send R10 000.
Her husband and two children said they were dropped off in Thubelihle location in Kriel.
The kidnappers made off with the man’s car.
Police urge anyone with information that can assist in tracing the suspects to contact Detective Lieutenant Colonel John Malope on 082 441 7591 or they can call the toll-free Crime Stop number on 08600 10111.
Alternatively, they can send information via MYSAPSAPP which can be downloaded to any smartphone. All information received will be treated with the strictest confidentiality and callers may opt to remain anonymous.
