DURBAN – Four suspects were arrested for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping of a four-year-old girl who was later found and reunited with her mother.
Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele stated that the girl’s mother said on Friday that while she was at work her neighbour called her and said she had seen an unknown man leaving the area with her daughter.
The mother said the child’s father was in Malawi, therefore it was impossible that he would be there to fetch the child. She then requested the neighbour to look for the child as she was at work.
“According to the victim's friends, they were playing at the Dayal Road sports ground when an unknown man, who was sitting not far from where they were playing, called them to come nearer and play next to him. The victim responded to the man and went to him. They saw both the victim and the suspect walking away,” Mbele said.
She said a kidnapping case was opened at Brighton Beach SAPS and a search team was immediately formed and a search ensued.
“After an intensive investigation by the team the child was found at Q Section in uMlazi. The victim was found unharmed and reunited with her mother,” Mbele said.
“All four suspects, aged between 17 and 79, were immediately arrested and taken to the Brighton Beach police station for further processing.”
Mbele said it was further alleged that the suspects were going to leave for Nkandla, northern KwaZulu-Natal, on Saturday morning to perform a ritual with the child.
She said the four suspects would appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court for kidnapping.
“The team is commended for the quick response which led to the arrest of suspects and the recovery of the missing girl,” Mbele said.
On the Bluff CPF/COP emergency page on Facebook, it was posted that on Friday a four-year-old girl was kidnapped in Clairwood by two unknown men.
“In a brilliant team effort between Brighton Beach SAPS D/CST Mazibuko and D/Sgt Ngcobo, certain members of our Bluff CPF reaction teams as well as some extra support from security force and Mzansi Security, the girl was found in a house in uMlazi in the early hours of this morning (Saturday),” the post read.
The post further stated that two suspects in the kidnapping were arrested as well as another two believed to be part of the group. The little girl was safely reunited with her mother.