A three-year-old girl who spent the weekend in the company of her kidnappers has been safely reunited with her family following a swift intervention by the police.
In a statement on Tuesday, national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola said the child was kidnapped by a woman pretending to be her nanny. It is alleged that the woman picked up the child from a nursery school in Springs, east of Johannesburg, on Thursday last week.
On Monday, the suspects made contact with the family of the child and demanded millions of rands in ransom for her safe return.
“A task team led a multidisciplinary team including the SAPS, Johannesburg Metro Police Department, Gauteng Traffic Police, Netcare 911, and numerous security companies to an area near Eastgate Mall, where ransom money was meant to have been paid to secure the safe return of the little girl,” said Masemola.
“As soon as the suspects arrived to collect the ransom money, the team swooped in on the four suspects and rescued the little girl.”
Four suspects are currently in police custody and are expected to appear in court soon on charges of kidnapping. Two unlicenced firearms and two vehicles were also confiscated at the scene.
Masemola further applauded the national team tasked with investigating and tackling organised criminal syndicates involved in kidnappings for ransom.
He added: “Well done to the team for ensuring the safe return of the little girl. The sleepless nights have paid off.
“We also thank our stakeholders for playing their part in ensuring that together we close in on these suspects and apprehend those who are behind this crime. This should serve as a warning to others who are involved in such criminality.
“We are surely closing in on these syndicates, their days are numbered.”
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