In a bid to escape his alleged kidnappers after overhearing an plot to kill him, a 34-year-old man is said to have jumped a the first storey window to seek assistance and make contact with his family, on Thursday.
According to Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), the victim’s family arrived at the headquarters in Verulam at 7.37pm on Thursday, seeking assistance after he made telephonic contact with them saying that he was seeking refuge at a flat in Cornubia. RUSA spokesperson, Prem Balram, said the abductee was taken from his home in Magwaveni in Tongaat, on Wednesday night.
Balram said: “The victim’s family informed reaction officers that they had registered a missing person’s case with Tongaat SAPS. Officers escorted the family to the location provided and re-united them with the missing man. The victim alleged he was consuming alcohol with friends on Wednesday night at his residence and they left at approximately 9.45pm leaving him alone in his house. Shortly after getting into bed, he said he heard a knock on the door. When he enquired who it was, a man asked him to open up so they consume more alcohol.
Balsam said when the victim refused, four suspects forced their way into the home. “The men were all armed with firearms. The suspects allegedly instructed the victim to lay face down on the floor and not look at them. They then demanded money and informed him that they were aware that he collected a large payout from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF). After failing to locate cash in the house, the suspects blindfolded him and loaded him into a silver Toyota Corolla (registration unknown). He was driven to an unknown location where he was asked to hand over his cellphone and the PIN for his bank card,” he added.
Balram said the victim related that the suspects purchased alcohol and withdrew cash from the victim’s account before transporting him to a house where he was left with two of his kidnappers while their accomplices proceeded to withdraw more money.
“On their return, the victim alleged the kidnappers transported him to a different location where he was kept overnight. On Thursday morning, the victim apparently questioned the suspects as to when he was going to be released. They informed him that they waiting for midnight to withdraw more money as his limit for the day was reached. At approximately 19:00, he overheard the suspects saying after withdrawing the money they would kill him and dump his body in a dam. The victim then jumped out the first floor window from the room he was being held hostage. He then realised that he was at the flats in Cornubia. He fled and sought assistance from a resident who assisted him with a cellphone to contact his family. A total of R15 000 was withdrawn from his bank account,” Balram added.
