Over the past 14 months, nine people have been kidnapped in Mozambique and 42 people have been arrested for their involvement in this type of crime, Interior Minister Pascual Ronda said in Parliament this Wednesday.
“From January 2023 to March 2024 PfP [Polícia da República de Moçambique] and Sernik [Serviço Nacional de Investigação Criminal] There were nine cases of completed kidnappings and six thwarted ones,” Rhonda said.
Seven of the new people kidnapped during the period were released, the interior minister said, without going into detail about the circumstances surrounding the rescue of the victims or the situation of the other two people.
Pascual Ronda said 42 people had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the kidnappings that occurred between January 2023 and March this year, including three South Africans and 39 Mozambicans.
Four firearms and four vehicles were also seized, and two caches were dismantled, Rhonda continued.
“The type of crime of kidnapping is one of the most complex and is committed by more sophisticated means,” he emphasized.
The Home Secretary said it was “necessary” to introduce a special law on kidnapping to make the fight against this type of crime more effective.
The Mozambican government has already announced the creation of an anti-kidnapping unit in 2023, but progress towards establishing this unit is unknown.
This Wednesday in Parliament, the Minister of the Interior also reiterated the need to approve the revision of the PRM and Sernik laws to ensure that these institutions have the organization and capacity to combat organized and transnational crime.
Pascual Ronda said the government will soon propose to parliament to review the laws on PFP and Sernica.
Rhonda emphasized the importance of international cooperation in the fight against transnational crime.
As for the fight against drug trafficking, last year 3,386 kilograms of hashish, 603 kilograms of heroin, 205 kilograms of methamphetamine and 50 kilograms of cocaine were seized, and 32 people were arrested, the official said.
“Despite the efforts we have made to combat drug trafficking, we are faced with problems related to the lack of adequate means to protect and monitor our sea coast,” emphasized Pascoal Ronda.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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