- Police in Limpopo launched a joint operation after relatives received a ransom call threatening to kill a woman unless R50,000 was paid by 8am
- A 43-year-old man was traced to Gauteng and arrested, later revealing the woman was unharmed at his family homestead in Jane Furse
- Investigators discovered the kidnapping was staged, adding perjury to the charges after the man had filed a sworn statement denying knowledge of her whereabouts
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LIMPOPO — Two individuals have been arrested in Limpopo after police discovered that a kidnapping reported to authorities was entirely fabricated, with the alleged victims having orchestrated the scheme themselves.
According to IOL, the case came to light when relatives based in Senwabarwana, in the Capricorn District, received a threatening phone call from an unknown caller demanding R50,000 in exchange for the safe return of a 28-year-old woman. The caller warned that she would be killed if the money was not deposited before 8am.
Multi-unit operation tracks down suspect in Gauteng
A joint investigation involving the Limpopo Organised Crime Investigations unit, the National Crime Intelligence kidnapping unit, and the Hillbrow Detectives moved quickly to locate those responsible. Their combined efforts led officers to a 43-year-old man who was apprehended in Gauteng.
During questioning, the man admitted that the woman, his girlfriend, was residing at his family homestead in Jane Furse in the Sekhukhune District. Officers travelled to the property and found her unharmed, with no injuries recorded.
Further investigation confirmed that the kidnapping had been planned and staged. The case took an additional turn when detectives established that the man had previously submitted a sworn affidavit claiming he had no knowledge of her whereabouts, prompting an additional charge of perjury.
Pair face court on multiple charges
Both the 43-year-old man and the 28-year-old woman were taken into custody at Senwabarwana police station. Spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba confirmed the arrests and stated that the pair face charges of extortion, perjury, and defeating the ends of justice. They are expected to appear before the Senwabarwana Magistrate's Court.
Limpopo Provincial Police Commissioner General Jan Petrus Scheepers condemned the conduct of those involved, stressing that fabricated criminal reports drain state resources and deny genuine victims the timely assistance they require. He warned that anyone found to have reported a false case would face direct criminal prosecution.
Read the South African Police Service's statement on X:
3 Limpopo police arrested
In a related article, Briefly News reported on the arrest of three serving police officers in Limpopo’s Sekhukhune district on fraud and corruption charges. Provincial Commissioner Jan Scheepers said investigations into alleged misconduct are ongoing.
The arrests have renewed public scrutiny of policing standards in the province. At the time of publication, authorities had not disclosed details of the allegations or the stations involved.
Source: Briefly News