FOUR friends have been safely reunited with their families after they were kidnapped by a group of men posing as cops in Mpumalanga.
According to police spokeswoman Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, the four friends were travelling between Standerton and Trichardt on Monday, 8 January, when they were stopped by a group of men driving in a white VW Polo fitted with blue lights.
The four men were kidnapped and kept captive while the suspects allegedly withdrew large sums of money from their bank accounts.
The matter was reported to the SAPS, and the anti-kidnapping task force traced the friends within 48 hours to a house in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni.
"A search is underway to arrest those behind this crime. In the past two years, more than 300 suspects linked to kidnappings where ransom demands were made, or victims made to withdraw large sums of money from their accounts, have been arrested," she said.
Mathe said the SAPS has since launched a manhunt for a group of three to four suspects involved in similar incidents where motorists were stopped by a group of men driving in a Ford Range bakkie or a white polo fitted with blue lights.
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"These incidents happened in a week in Mbombela, Hazyview, and Standerton. In the other two incidents, families were also held captive, and large sums of money were also withdrawn from their accounts.
"Members of the public are urged to be extra vigilant in an event where they suspect that they're being stopped by criminals posing as fake police officers," she said.
Mathe said communities are urged to adhere to the following guidelines:
Don't stop if you suspect that you might be stopped by bogus police officers.
Drive to the nearest police station, shopping complex, or any other busy area when you are stopped by an unmarked vehicle with blue lights.
Stay away from a deserted spot or area to talk on your phone or even relieve yourself.
If someone tries to force you out of the road, don't panic, but just constantly hoot to draw attention.
You have the right to request a police officer who is not in uniform and an unmarked vehicle to identify themselves by producing their SAPS appointment card with their rank, date of service, and picture on them.
Mathe said communities are assured that police are working around the clock to apprehend those behind these incidents and stop these acts of criminality.
