Mozambican police foiled a kidnapping attempt in Maputo on Friday, an operation that culminated in the death of a suspect and the serious injury of a corporate agent, an official told Luce.
The incident occurred at around 20:00 (19:00 Lisbon time) on Friday when an armed man tried to kidnap a shopkeeper near gas stations in the Organization of Mozambican Women (OMW) square, an upscale area of the Mozambican capital.
“His movement inside the store caused mistrust among the workers, who immediately called the police who were nearby. And when they approached, the man immediately pulled out a firearm and shot the employee (…) In response, the man was shot dead,” said Leonel Mucina, a spokesman for the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in Maputo.
According to the source, the suspect died in the central hospital of Maputo, and the wounded policeman with a chest wound was hospitalized in the same department in serious condition.
“The bullet that hit our officer in the chest also grazed part of his lung and exited through his back,” a Mozambican police spokesman explained.
The suspect has not provided any identification, but authorities believe he is a South African citizen.
“We assume he is of South African nationality. He spoke only Zulu (one of the South African languages),” he added.
The incident comes after a group of six people kidnapped another businessman in Maputo on Wednesday morning, between Karl Marx and Ho Chi Minh avenues, in the city centre.
“The kidnapping victim on Wednesday returned to her family on Friday,” Leonel Muhana said, without elaborating.
A wave of kidnappings in Mozambique has affected businessmen and their families, especially those of Asian descent, which authorities say needs to be addressed.
Since 2011, according to data provided by the Minister of Internal Affairs in March this year, the DRM has recorded a total of 185 cases of kidnapping and more than 288 people have been detained on suspicion of involvement in this type of crime.
“Everything indicates that 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,” Pascoal Round said at the meeting time .
Most kidnappings committed in Mozambique are prepared outside the country, particularly in South Africa, making it difficult to combat the crime, the country’s attorney general, Beatriz Buchili, told parliament in April.
Most of the leaders live in South Africa, according to Mozambique’s attorney general.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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