Mozambique: Young man kidnapped at gunpoint by gang of eight

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Mozambique: Young man kidnapped at gunpoint by gang of eight

8:23 CAT | 12 May 2024

Image: O País

A 29-year-old man was kidnapped on Saturday in Maputo by eight armed men who fired shots on the road, a source from the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) told Lusa this Sunday.

According to the source, the kidnapping took place on Avenida Joaquim Chissano, next to one of the victim’s commercial establishments, at around 08:00 local time (07:00 in Lisbon), with four of the kidnappers having AK-47 machine guns.

“There were some shots. According to the information collected at the scene, there were eight individuals who were being transported in light vehicles,” said the source.

Kidnapped.maputo.lusa_ — *Image: Anti-Raptos Beira*

This is the second case of kidnapping of businesspeople in Maputo in the last 15 days and at least the fourth since the beginning of the year.

The Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) recorded a total of 185 cases of kidnapping and at least 288 people were detained on suspicion of involvement in this type of crime since 2011, the Minister of the Interior announced last March.

“Everything indicates that the city of Maputo has the highest trend and incidence of criminal cases of kidnapping, followed by the province of Maputo and, finally, Sofala, with a record of 103, 41 and 18 cases, respectively”, declared Pascoal Ronda, on 19 of March.

According to the Minister, trends show “decreasing behaviour” since 2020, as a result of “concerted actions” by the Mozambican authorities.

“It is also important to mention that from January 2023 to the present day, the PRM registered nine cases of completed kidnappings and six cases were frustrated. Therefore, there were attempts and these attempts were frustrated, because, in truth, the communities and the police action gave a sign that it couldn’t happen”, the Minister said at the time.

The Mozambican minister admitted, however, that there are challenges in combating kidnappings in the country, considering that the wave is creating a feeling of insecurity, which is not favourable for the business environment.

“There is an urgent need to increasingly improve our methods of action and our training, as well as our empowerment and adequate technological means to respond to the problem and face it with the expectations it deserves”,Pascoal Rona added.

The wave of kidnappings in Mozambique has affected businesspeople and their families, especially people of Asian descent, which the authorities believe requires reflection.

The majority of kidnappings committed in Mozambique are prepared outside the country, which makes combating this type of crime difficult, the Attorney General of the Republic, Beatriz Buchili, said in April in parliament.

“One of the biggest challenges in combating [abductions] is the fact that a large part of the preparations for the execution of the crime and the payment of ransom take place outside the country”, Buchili said, during the annual information to parliament.

The majority of he masterminds live in South Africa, The Attorney General said.

“Therefore, investigation and instruction necessarily require the use of international legal and judicial cooperation mechanisms, involving countries with an objective or subjective connection to the crime, for mutual legal assistance, extradition or sharing of information,” she added. .

The PGR emphasized that 20 requests for extradition and mutual legal assistance were submitted more than a year ago, including from identified perpetrators of kidnappings, but Mozambique received no response.

It also highlighted the ongoing efforts to sign an extradition agreement between Mozambique and South Africa, aiming to reinforce cooperation in the fight against organized crime.

In the annual report, the PGR pointed out that in 2023 seven criminal cases of kidnapping were opened, a drop of 53.3% compared to the previous year, in which 15 were registered. In the same year, indictments were filed in 12 cases and five were shelved. Meanwhile, nine cases were carried over to this year.

Source: Lusa