A 47-year-old East London businessman has become the latest victim of kidnappings in the country.
Pramesh Hooka, the owner of Autostyling, was allegedly kidnapped on Thursday at around 5.40pm.
Shocking video footage of the brazen kidnapping has gone viral.
In the video, five armed men are seen dragging the owner into the boot of a car before driving off.
Provincial Hawks spokesperson, Captain Yolisa Mgolodela said Hooka was allegedly kidnapped by five African males while closing his shop in Amalinda.
“The suspects are reported to have shoved the victim into a champagne Toyota Avanza they were driving in,” she said.
Mgolodela said there is no knowledge of ransom demands as yet.
She said the Hawks’ Kidnapping Task Team, together with other law enforcement agencies, are hunting for the victim and the suspects.
In another incident, four people have been arrested and charged for the kidnapping of a Pietermaritzburg teenager.
In May, 17-year-old Abdul Mateen Khalid had been driving along Brixham Road at Raisethorpe in Pietermaritzburg when he was stopped by suspects who pretended to be police officers.
The suspects demanded R11.5 million from Khalid’s family.
The victim was rescued from an outbuilding in Umzinto on the south coast.
Omar Riaz, Mohamed Faisal, Rana Yaseen and Nayeed Khan, all Pakistani nationals, have been charged with kidnapping.
IOL News