Kidnapped Gauteng man rescued in midnight raid, 3 people arrested
- Police rescued Zaheer Asmal in Lenasia South, Gauteng.
- He was kidnapped outside his business premises last week.
- In the last week, police have arrested eight alleged kidnappers.
“Thank God he is home and fine!
That was all Mohamed Asmal could say on Tuesday morning after police rescued his brother, Zaheer.slide 1 of 1Police recovered the car Zaheer Asmal was kidnapped in last week.SuppliedPHOTO: Supplied
Zaheer was kidnapped outside his business in De Deur last week.
In a late-night swoop on Monday, police rescued him in Lenasia South.
Police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe said the national Crime Intelligence anti-kidnapping task team led a multi-disciplinary operation to rescue him.
Mathe said that just before midnight, a team comprising the SAPS special task force, the Johannesburg metro police department, and officials from private security companies, entered a house in Lenasia South and rescued Asmal. She said he was not physically harmed.
Police also recovered the car that was used to kidnapped Zaheer as well as a firearm. Three people were arrested – one South African, one Mozambican and one Malawian.
She said they would probe whether the three people were linked to other kidnappings in Gauteng.
They have been charged with kidnapping and are expected to appear in court soon.
“We are closing in on these kidnappers and the identified syndicates. We are hot on the heels of these captors, and it is encouraging that we are able to rescue people and return them safely to their families.”
Mathe added that the latest arrest brings to eight the number of alleged kidnappers arrested in the last week.
A man believed to be a mastermind in the kidnappings was among those arrested.
The alleged mastermind and his group are alleged to have been involved in the kidnapping of Jahyr Abdullah, a Mozambican national, and his friend on 15 October last year.
They have also allegedly been linked to the kidnapping of Yasin Bhiku, an Indian national who was kidnapped in the driveway of his home in Lenasia. He was unharmed when police rescued him. NEWS24
