A MAN from Philippi in Cape Town was arrested after staging his own kidnapping and defrauding his family members of their hard-earned cash.
The 25-year-old suspect was arrested on Thursday, 11 January.
It's alleged that the brother of the arrested man went to work early on the day of the abduction and left his brother with money to pay rent.
The arrested man was supposed to deposit the money at Shoprite for the landlord as he doesn’t live around Cape Town.
When he returned from work at about 6pm, the arrested man's brother switched on his phone and received the shocking message that his brother had been kidnapped.
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The alleged kidnappers demanded R5 000 for the man's safe return.
They claimed they had taken the victim’s money and phone and were with him in Khayelitsha. The complainant's wife also received a similar message demanding money for the release of her husband’s brother.
Western Cape police spokesman Captain Frederick van Wyk said the man and his friend faked the kidnapping on Tuesday, 2 January.
"According to reports, the brother did not return home on 2 January 2024 and the ransom demand was increased to R15 000. On 9 January 2024, the family opted for the ransom demand of R15 000 and transferred the money via e-wallet.
"On the afternoon of 10 January 2024, the abductee came home and admitted that he and his friend had staged the abduction to extort money from his family. He also said that he had used the money to pay the rent for gambling," Van Wyk said.
The suspect has been detained at Philippi East Police Station and will appear in the Athlone Magistrates Court on Friday, 12 January 2024.
