Mozambique: Police detain Pakistani, suspected mastermind behind kidnappings in Sofala province – Lusa

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Mozambique: Police detain Pakistani, suspected mastermind behind kidnappings in Sofala province – Lusa

5:55 CAT | 08 Apr 2022

Photo: TVM

Mozambique’s national criminal investigation service (SERNIC) on Friday announced the detention of a Pakistani man suspected of leading a group that has been carrying out kidnappings in the central province of Sofala.

The man was apprehended on Tuesday, two days after allegedly ordering a kidnapping in the city of Beira, Alfeu Sitoe, spokesman for the SERNIC in Sofala told reporters on Friday.

According to authorities, the Pakistani allegedly hired two people on Saturday to kidnap a businessman, his countryman, in Beira, but the plan was foiled by police.

“When they arrived at the location, in an attempt to carry out the crime, they discovered that the police were present,” and so “fled,” the spokesman said, adding that the “kidnappers came from Maputo,” the country’s capital.

Some Mozambican cities, mainly the country’s capital, have again been plagued since 2020 by a wave of kidnappings, targeting mainly businessmen or their relatives.

In November 2021, the police launched the formation of a mixed force to respond to this type of crime, a group of officers who will be trained by Rwandan specialists.

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