A POLICE multidisciplinary team came to the rescue of a businessman who was kidnapped almost two weeks ago.
The team also arrested six men, believed to be part of a syndicate that had been terrorising business owners in Gauteng.
According to national spokeswoman Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, the team had been conducting surveillance on the syndicate, and already linked them to more than 16 cases of kidnappings where ransom demands were made in the province.
She said in a takedown operation on Thursday, 19 January, the team, led by the special task force and hostage negotiators, conducted operations at identified addresses in Jeppe, Helderwyk, Brackenhurst and Daveyton.
Mathe said a businessman kidnapped on 7 January was successfully rescued from one of the premises and reunited with his family. Police also seized five cars including two BMWs, two Mercedes-Benz sedans and a Toyota Urban Cruiser.
“Twenty cellphones and 30 portable GPS tracking devices are also among the items seized,” she said.
Meanwhile in another unrelated incident, Sandton police arrested a Tanzanian national for possession of/and dealing in drugs on Wednesday.
Mathe said the police were acting on intelligence-driven information when they found the suspect in possession of 500g of Crystal Meth and 1kg of heroin at an upmarket hotel.
National commissioner General Fannie Masemola commended the team for a job well done.
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He said police continued to infiltrate and apprehend those behind the spate of kidnappings.
“Our message is clear: the SAPS is coming for all criminals – either they make our lives easy by handing themselves in or we fetch them ourselves,” he said.
