Businessman kidnapped in Maputo

Another businessman was kidnapped this Sunday morning in the city of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, a few meters from the Casa Militar, a local source told Lusa.

The kidnapping took place around 8:30 a.m. (6:30 a.m. in Lisbon) at the victim’s business establishment, on Calle Samuel da Bula (formerly General Teixeira Botelho), a few meters from the Casa Militar, the barracks in charge of protecting the president. Republic Filipe Nyusi.

“He was opening his establishment when two men approached him and pointed a gun. Without making a sound, they took him to a car that was parked almost at the door and which later drove away in the direction opposite to the barracks,” Lusa was told by a source living on the same street where the crime took place.

According to the source, employees of the institution were also at the scene and were intimidated by the kidnappers when they tried to react.

“I thought they were customers, but they weren’t (…) They took him and he didn’t scream (…),” explained the security guard of the establishment, who saw them leave with the victim, local reports press.

Lusa has requested a response from the Mozambican Police, but has not yet received a response.

This is the second kidnapping recorded this year in the city of Maputo.

On January 20, in the capital of Mozambique, a group of armed men kidnapped a businessman, two of whom have already been arrested, but the victim, according to the latest police data, “remains captive.”

On January 16, a furniture store manager was shot in the stomach during a failed kidnapping attempt by members of the public who threw stones at the perpetrators, Maputo police spokesman Leonel Lusa Muchina said.

According to officials, since January 2023, Mozambican authorities have detained 38 people involved in a wave of kidnappings in the country, with a total of 13 cases recorded during the same period.

A wave of kidnappings in Mozambique began in 2011, affecting mainly businessmen and their families.

After a period of relative stability, cases have again been reported in recent years, mainly in provincial capitals, with a particular focus on Maputo.

Mozambican authorities have repeatedly acknowledged the involvement of police and judges in these crimes, the consequences of which extend to neighboring South Africa, a country with which Mozambique has strong relations.