Mozambican police have arrested two suspects involved in a 2022 kidnapping that resulted in the death of the victim, whose body was found in February this year in Maputo, southern Mozambique, a corporate source told Lusa this Saturday.
Two men, aged 34 and 38, were arrested on Wednesday in Gaza province, also in southern Mozambique, for their suspected involvement in the October 2022 abduction of a businessman of Pakistani nationality from an avenue in the Mozambican capital. This was stated by Hilario Lole, representative of the National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernik) in the city of Maputo.
“We came across these two men when we were looking for information about the person who ordered the kidnapping, who is in South Africa. One [dos suspeitos] was found in the director’s house with a pistol and two magazines,” Sernik’s representative said.
The body of the 54-year-old businessman was found buried in a house that served as a prison in the Liberdade district, on the outskirts of Maputo city, police said.
“The coroner’s report indicates that the body was buried for at least a year, which means that the businessman was killed in 2023,” added Hilario Lole.
The Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) have recorded a total of 185 cases of kidnapping and at least 288 people have been detained on suspicion of involvement in this type of crime since 2011, the interior minister said in March.
“The city of Maputo has the highest trend and number of criminal cases of kidnapping, followed by the province of Maputo and finally Sofala with a record of 103, 41 and 18 cases respectively,” said the Maputo Interior Minister. Mozambique, Pascoal Ronda, March 19.
A wave of kidnappings in Mozambique has affected businessmen and their families, especially those of Asian descent, which authorities say needs to be addressed.
The British government on Tuesday warned Britons visiting Mozambique of the risk of kidnappings, particularly in Maputo, following several recent incidents.
In an update to its travel advice website, the UK Foreign Office said “kidnappings for ransom have been reported in Mozambique, mainly in the capital Maputo.”
Most kidnappings committed in Mozambique are carried out outside the country, making it difficult to combat this type of crime, the republic’s attorney general, Beatrice Buchili, told parliament in April.
Most of those responsible live in South Africa, he said.
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi has admitted that the fight against kidnappings plaguing the country, especially Maputo and especially businessmen, requires more “proactivity”, namely cooperation with the private sector and other countries.
“We are working with countries that have extensive experience in this regard,” Nyusi assured on May 15.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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