- A 25-year-old man from Philippi in Cape Town is expected to appear at Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 12 January, on charges of “staging” his kidnapping.
- The man was arrested on Thursday.
- His family paid a ransom of R15 000 via e-wallet.
A 25-year-old man from Philippi in Cape Town is expected to appear at Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 12 January, on charges of “staging” his kidnapping. The man was arrested on Thursday.
Provincial police spokesperson Capt Frederick van Wyk said the suspect has been detained at Philippi East Police Station, Lower Crossroads.
Van Wyk says a man reported his brother as kidnapped on Tuesday 2 January, after receiving a message from an anonymous phone number.
“According to reports, at approximately 05:30, the complainant left his residence at David Venda Street, Better Life, Philippi East, to go to work, leaving behind his brother, who was supposed to deposit rent money at Shoprite for the premises they are residing in. It’s alleged that the complainant’s cellphone was off, and when he switched it on at around 18:00, he found a message indicating that his brother had been kidnapped and the suspects were demanding a ransom amount between R4 000 and R5 000 for his safe return,” Van Wyk adds.
He said the kidnappers stated that they took the money and the cellphone of the captive and that they were in the Khayelitsha area.
Van Wyk said later during the day, the complainant’s wife also received a message from a different number instructing her to deposit the requested amount to the number.
“Reports reveal that the brother never returned home on Tuesday 2 January, and the ransom demand amount was increased to R15 000. On Tuesday 9 January, the family decided on the R15 000 ransom demand and paid via e-wallet. On Wednesday 10 January, afternoon, the captive came back home and admitted that he and his friend staged the kidnapping as they wanted to extort money from his family. He further stated that he used the rent money for gambling,” he stated.