Portugal is “monitoring through diplomatic and consular posts in Maputo” the situation of a young Portuguese-Mozambican woman abducted by three armed men on Wednesday in the Mozambican capital as she left her home, an official source told Lusa.
“The situation is being monitored through diplomatic and consular posts in Maputo, which are in contact with the family,” a Foreign Ministry source said.
A group of three armed men abducted the 26-year-old girl on the morning of the 1st as she left her home in Maputo around 7:50 a.m. local time (5:50 a.m. Lisbon time) with the intention of going to a gym in the Mozambican capital, it was reported Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) spokesman Lionel Muchina speaking to Lusa on the day of the abduction.
The same source added that police forces, including the National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernik), are working together to clear up the case and that there is “a lot of evidence” regarding the kidnapping.
The circumstances of the abduction are atypical in that she is an ordinary Portuguese-Mozambican citizen of Indian origin who does not appear to have significant personal assets and is not a typical target in this type of situation.
“We conducted a local assessment and determined that the family has no business history,” Muchina stressed last Wednesday.
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 a unit to combat kidnappings “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.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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