Mozambique announces arrest of suspect in case of businessman found dead

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Mozambique announces arrest of suspect in case of businessman found dead

5:28 CAT | 28 Dec 2022

Photo: O País

Mozambique authorities have announced the arrest of a suspected citizen involved in the case of the businessman kidnapped a week ago, found dead on Tuesday in Maputo province.

“In connection with the crime, we have detained a citizen. The Sernic [National Criminal Investigation Service] regrets the fact and has done everything to solve this problem of kidnapping crimes,” spokesman Leonardo Simbine told the media.

The body of the businessman, kidnapped more than a week ago, was found in Txumene, Matola, in the southern Mozambican province of Maputo, with injuries and signs of aggression, but authorities warned it was premature to advance a specific cause of death.

“Right now, forensics is doing its job,” Leonardo Simbine stressed.

The man was kidnapped on December 14, in front of one of his commercial establishments in Matola municipality, by an armed group.

A video captured by surveillance cameras at the scene of the crime shows the exact moment when the group, composed of four men, dragged the businessman into a vehicle in broad daylight.

Maputo and other Mozambican cities, mainly provincial capitals, have again been the scene of a wave of kidnappings since 2020, targeting mainly businessmen or their relatives.

Mozambique has recorded 13 kidnappings this year and 33 arrests linked to the crimes, according to the latest data advanced by the national criminal investigation service (Sernic).

In an assessment of criminality, presented at the beginning of June, Mozambique’s Attorney General, Beatriz Buchili, said that kidnapping crimes have been increasing and criminal groups have cross-border ramifications, maintaining cells in countries such as South Africa.

She said there were victims who were “constantly blackmailed”, even after their release, into paying money to ensure they would not be kidnapped again.

Source: Lusa