What is Moti hiding?
Dad’s bid to protect kids from more trauma could see copycat kidnappings
THE MOTI brothers’ kidnapping case has taken another turn, with the boys’ father interdicting the police from obtaining statements from the boys, and questions are now being asked whether he is hiding something.
Forensic experts have warned that the inability of the police to crack the Moti brothers’ kidnapping case will have serious implications for the country.
These would include the emboldening of kidnappers and cause an increase in this type of organised crime. Also, a possible kidnappers’ syndicate would remain untouched.
News emerged over the weekend that police battled to make headway in the Moti brothers’ case because their father had obtained an interdict.
Nazim Moti, the father of the four boys who were dramatically kidnapped on their way to school in Polokwane in October, also has reportedly relocated his family to Dubai.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Netshiunda is on record as saying that the father refused police access to Zidan, Zia, Alwaan and Zayyad immediately after their return home.
The boys were reunited with their parents three weeks after the kidnapping. The kidnappers dropped them off in Vuwani, Venda.
A R50 million ransom was reportedly paid for their release. They were snatched by heavily-armed abductors who stopped their vehicle.
Lizette Lancaster, a criminologist attached to the Institute for Security Studies, told The Star yesterday that the kidnapping had the hallmarks of a syndicate. “Given the organised nature of this incident, it is clear that it must have been a syndicate,” she said.
“The way they kidnapped the brothers, it’s clear that they have experience. It is clearly an organised and highly specialised group of people.”
Lancaster said it was important for police to tie up any leads that could assist them to track syndicates.
“It’s difficult to put all the puzzle-pieces together if information is withheld from the police.”
Netshiunda said the police’s interview with the boys was necessary.
“We are concerned that this (the relocation) has happened before … We
could obtain the necessary statements from the victims. It is very important that we interview the children because out of their statements we might derive new leads that could lead to the perpetrators,” he said.
Netshiunda said the police’s investigation was continuing despite the development.
“Police investigations are continuing, while we remain hopeful that the family will cooperate with the investigators.”
Chad Thomas, chief executive of the group IRS Forensic Investigations, said police should employ all investigation tools to crack the case, and not just rely on the children’s statements.
“There are a lot of investigation tools that are available to the police, and the Hawks,” Thomas told The Star.
“They’ve got cellphone technology, all kinds of things to tie things to a particular location. There are ways of determining how the syndicate operates.
“The fact that the family is in Dubai and isn’t willing to let the children be interviewed shouldn’t be the end of the road for the investigation.
“There are other aspects of the investigation that can be probed,” Thomas said. Leaving this high-profile case unresolved did not augur well for the country, he said. “From a greater perspective, we will see an increase in kidnappings in South Africa.
“We will see a mushrooming of other syndicates that will be copycats. Like we see in any sophisticated organised crime, if it works it becomes a blueprint for other smaller groups of criminals to copy.
“We will see an emergence of companies specialising in kidnapping and ransom.” Thomas said he could not blame the Motis for refusing to have the boys interviewed by police, following their three-week ordeal.
“It’s a strange situation because people may think that they are hindering the process, but what they are doing is what many parents would do to protect their children from further trauma.”
Social media was abuzz with speculation that the Moti family refused to cooperate with police as part of a plot to bury the information.
Many social media users linked the kidnappings to the theft of drugs from the offices of the Hawks in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal, in November. The drugs were worth more than R200m on the black market.
While not linking the kidnapping to the drugs theft, private investigator Mike Bolhuis said police might need to look into the Moti family as well.
“There’s always a possibility of a crime that has been committed on the other side as well,” Bolhuis said.
“This could be staged … I’m not saying it is. But it has to be investigated due to the fact that they are not participating. The point is (that) it is careless to just slip away, especially when police have given their all.”
There were means to record the children’s statements without further traumatising them, Bolhuis maintained.
“There are avenues you can follow to participate. The kids can give their statements through their doctors or psychiatrists or through parents and preachers.”