Mozambique: Government proposes changes to SERNIC to strengthen fight against crime
A 79 year old businessman of Asian origin, Norotam Ramuji, was kidnapped on Tuesday night in the up-market Maputo neighbourhood of Sommerschield, reports Thursday’s issue of the daily paper “Noticias”.
Ramuji is the owner of a jewellery shop, Ourivesaria Imperial, in the commercial heart of Maputo.
So far little is known of the kidnapping except that it was carried out by five people, armed with at least one AK-47 assault rifle. The current whereabouts of Ramuji are unknown. Nor is it yet clear whether the kidnappers have demanded a ransom from his family.
This abduction came just 24 hours after a failed attempt to kidnap Gulam Rassul, owner of the Tiger Shopping Centre, which sells household appliances and other electrical goods.
Four armed men attempted to overpower Rassul and his sons in the basement of the Tiger Centre, but they lost their nerve when neighbours, who also keep their cars in the basement, shouted for help. The criminals made off in their getaway car, a Toyota Surf.
These incidents reveal that the epidemic of kidnapping that began in Mozambican cities in late 2011 is far from over. The police have had some success in arresting and bringing to trial low level operatives who are hired to snatch the victims. But so far the men who mastermind this particular form of organized crime have eluded capture.
Leave a Reply
Be the First to Comment!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.