Two kidnapped girls rescued unharmed
North West police have arrested seven suspects for kidnapping and extortion after two teenagers were allegedly brazenly abducted in front of a primary school in Brits this month.
Zahraa and Bataviya Mohammed were apparently found on Monday in a house at New Stands, Klipgat, near Winterveld and Mabopane.
The cousins, aged 17 and 19, are believed to have been snatched while on their way to school in Hartbeespoort.
In a brazen attack, Zahraa and Bataviya’s car was allegedly bumped from the front by a maroon Audi A3 to force it to stop.
Police said the preliminary investigation revealed that the Audi A3 was reported to have been stolen in Garsfontein.
It is understood that two armed men got out of a white Volkswagen Polo GTI and ordered the cousins to get into their car before speeding off.
Police spokesperson Sabata Mokgwabone said the cousins were examined by paramedics in the Klipgat police station’s victims-friendly room.
“They were 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,” Mokgwabone said.
“The suspects are expected to appear in the Brits Magistrate’s Court soon, facing two counts of kidnapping and extortion.”
Mokgwabone added the provincial commissioner of police in North West, Lieutenant-General Sello Kwena, had commended a multidisciplinary team for their relentless efforts, which led to finding the cousins and the arrest of the suspects.
“He indicated that the arrests will, without doubt, sound a warning that those who commit crimes have no place to hide in society and will be exposed – as it happened in this case.”
Meanwhile, the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) is searching for a suspect on the run after intercepting a kidnapping in Brooklyn, Pretoria, last weekend.
TMPD spokesperson Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba said an investigation was ongoing in connection with the kidnapping of a Pretoria woman.
Mahamba said the kidnap victim told officers she was robbed of her cellphone and the suspects forced her to give them her banking details.