Mozambique: Two Metuge villages on alert after suspected rebels movement
Mozambique: Man arrested for involvement in kidnapping of the two businessmen rescued last week
3:45 CAT | 22 Nov 2024
File photo: Notícias
The Mozambican police have arrested a man suspected of involvement in the kidnapping of two businessmen rescued in Matola-Rio, on the outskirts of Maputo last week. One of these is a Portuguese national, a source from the National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic) announced this Friday.
“The individual arrested on the 20th of this month is a member of the gang,” Sernic spokesman Hilário Lole told reporters in Maputo.
On the 13th, the police rescued two businessmen, one kidnapped on August 5th from a hotel in the city of Maputo and another, of Portuguese nationality and involved in the construction industry, kidnapped on October 29th, also in the Mozambican capital.
At least four suspects were killed in an exchange of gunfire with the police at a hideout in Matola Rio during the rescue.
The man arrested on Wednesday is the person who allegedly rented the residence used as a hideout.
“This individual has had a rental contract for this same residence since May 2022, paying a monthly rent of 16,000 meticais (€239),” said Lole, adding that the man was related to one of the suspects killed on the 13th.
The police suspect that the residence has also been used as a hideout for other people kidnapped since 2022.
“We believe that there are more members of this gang, apart from the masterminds themselves, and operations are being carried out by Sernic to give a full explanation and hold them criminally accountable for their actions,” Lole said.
The man arrested denies his involvement in the kidnappings, but confirmed that the documents used to rent the residence are his.
Around 150 businesspeople have been kidnapped in Mozambique in the last 12 years, and hundreds more have left the country out of fear, according to the Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA), which urges the government to say “Enough is enough!”.
Mozambican police have recorded a total of 185 cases of kidnapping up to March of this year. At least 288 people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in kidnapping since 2011, Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda previously announced.
Source: Lusa
Show comments
Also read
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.