Mozambican police have arrested two men who were preparing to kidnap a businessman in Maputo

Mozambican police arrested two men red-handed on Thursday as they set out to kidnap a businessman in the southern Mozambican city of Maputo and received a list of people to kidnap, a corporate source said on Monday.

The arrest took place around 12 noon in the center of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, as a group of six men were planning to kidnap a Mozambican businessman of Indian origin, said Hilario Lole, a spokesman for the National Criminal Investigation Service (Cernik). city ​​of Maputo.

In this group, four people are Mozambican citizens and two are South Africans, Sernick said.

“Of these six, we managed to neutralize two people on the spot, who, by the way, are father and son, one 59 years old, the other 28 years old,” said Hilario Lola, adding that one of the alleged kidnappers was released on parole after in 2012 he was sentenced to 17 years in prison for committing the same type of crime.

Two cars were also seized from the two men and “images of several victims of kidnappings that occurred after the execution” were obtained in a kidnapping foiled by Mozambican police on Thursday.

“As part of his arrest, it was possible to collect various information about abductions that have occurred in the past, as well as abductions that will be carried out,” the spokesman said, noting that the information received will help “clarify the various cases of abductions.” kidnappings that have already occurred”, as well as preventing “future cases” from being included in the list of detainees.

According to Sernik’s representative, the police are developing measures to ensure the protection of the businessman and his family who escaped kidnapping.

“We want to believe that through this work, in these days, it will be possible to achieve a certain calm regarding this practice of crimes related to kidnapping,” judging by the “work carried out by Sernik in coordination with various forces on the ground and with the South.” The African equivalent,” added Hilario Lole.

Mozambique police said on Thursday that businessman Junide Lalji was chased by unknown assailants on the 8th in the city of Matola, Maputo province, and managed to escape to his company.

After the incident, the victim filed a report at the 1st police station of the Republic of Mozambique in the city of Matola, the police report said.

13 days ago, a 26-year-old girl of Portuguese and Mozambican origin was abducted by three armed men in Maputo as she left her home.

Contacted by Lusa on the 8th, Sernik’s spokesman in the city of Maputo stated that “work is still underway to clarify the case”, saying that it was “still premature” to provide any information about the girl’s abduction.

In a conversation with Lusa, representatives of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they were monitoring the case together with the Mozambican authorities.

On the same day, Sernik director Nelson Rego confirmed that the agency was “determined” to create a unit specialized in combating kidnappings, warning of the need to “purify” the police ranks.

Some cities in Mozambique, mainly provincial capitals, have been hit again by a wave of kidnappings since 2020, mostly targeting businessmen or their families.

Mozambican Prime Minister Adriano Maleian announced in parliament last May that agents had already been selected to work in a special unit to combat kidnappings affecting the country’s main cities.

“The first stage, already completed,” of creating an anti-kidnapping unit “consisted in the selection of agents,” and the next stage will be the specialization of personnel and the support of cooperation partners, he specified.

According to a report presented by the head of the Mozambican government at the time, 28 cases of kidnapping have been reported in Mozambique since 2021, of which “15 have been fully clarified.”