A 48-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested.
This after he allegedly kidnapped a Maxesibeni shopkeeper in Msekeni location, Eastern Cape.
The victim, a 30-year-old man, was snatched on the evening of 30 April 2025 just after closing his shop in Msekeni.
Police said he had been walking towards the main road to catch a lift to his brother's house when he vanished without a trace.
Worried about his brother's failure to arrive, the victim's family called the police.
The police said a joint search team of both law enforcement and residents was quickly formed.
Days later, on 5 May, the family received ransom demands from the kidnappers. The case was then handed over to the Hawks' elite Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit.
Hawks spokeswoman Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana said a high-level operation was swiftly launched.
ALSO READ | Former KZN premier now a doctor!Opens in new window
It involved a team that included Crime Intelligence, Tactical Response Team, hostage negotiators, forensic experts, and private security from MC4.
"Through coordinated investigative efforts and deductive reasoning, the team traced the suspect to a house in the Njijini Administrative Area near Kwabhaca," she said.
Mhlakuvana further said that officers found the victim alive and held captive.
She said the victim was safely rescued during a forceful operation, and the suspect was arrested on the spot.
She confirmed that the suspect is directly linked to the kidnapping case and the victim was unharmed.
The suspect is set to appear in the Maxesibeni Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 14 May.
Hawks provincial head Major-General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya praised the operation as a breakthrough in the fight against organised crime in the region.
"This arrest sends a strong message to would-be perpetrators that the law will catch up with you," Ngwenya said.
More arrests are expected as the investigation continues.
