Potchefstroom – Police have rescued two cousins kidnapped two weeks ago in the North West.
The Cousins, 17-year-old Zahraa Mohammed and 19-year-old Bataviya Mohammed, were kidnapped on Wednesday, (6 March 2024).
Police said the cousins were found on Monday evening, 25 March 2024, in a house at New Stands, Klipgat near Winterveldt and Mabopane.
In the process of locating the victims, the police team arrested six suspects.
Meanwhile, the victims were examined by paramedics at Klipgat police station’s Victims Friendly Room (VFR) and found to be in a good state of health except for exhaustion and trauma.
They were safely reunited with their families without any visible injuries.
Earlier this month police arrested 48-year-old Humphrey Martin in connection with the kidnapping.
The suspect was arrested in the early hours of Friday morning, (8 March 2024), at Naturena, in Johannesburg.
Martin has made several appearances at the Brits Magistrate’s Court on 11, 18, and 25 March 2024.
He remains in custody and is expected to appear again on 8 April 2024.
On the day the cousins were kidnapped, it was reported at the time of the incident that the suspects bumped the victims’ car from the front with a maroon Audi A3, to force it to stop.
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The said Audi A3 was reportedly stolen in Grasfontein in March this year.
It is further alleged that two armed men got out of a white Volkwagen Polo GTI and ordered the cousins to get into it (the Polo).
The driver of the Audi got into a Toyota Hilux allegedly driven by Martin.
The suspects then fled from the crime scene with the victims.
The latter’s Mercedes Benz vehicle and the Audi A3 were found at the crime scene.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the Audi A3 was reportedly stolen in Garsfontein in March this year.
The suspects are expected to appear before the Brits Magistrates’ Court soon, facing two counts of kidnapping and extortion.
The Provincial Commissioner of Police in North West, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena commended a multi-disciplinary team comprising of Provincial Organised Crime, Head Office Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Bojanala Platinum Sub-District 2 Task Team and Brits Crime Intelligence for working tirelessly to locate the cousins
Lieutenant General Kwena expressed his gratitude to the multi-disciplinary team for their relentless efforts, which led to the finding of the victims and the arrest of the suspects.
