Mozambique: State awaiting formal notice of kidnap gang boss detention by Pretoria

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Mozambique: State awaiting formal notice of kidnap gang boss detention by Pretoria

11:34 CAT | 10 Jan 2023

File photo: Lusa

The Mozambican government has said it expected formal notification from South African authorities in the case of a man detained near Pretoria, suspected of leading a group that carried out kidnappings with ransom demands in Maputo.

“We are waiting for our justice institutions to be notified so that we can take the subsequent steps,” Mozambican interior minister Arsénia Massingue told the media on the sidelines of a public event in Maputo on Monday.

At issue is the arrest on Saturday of Esmael Malude Ramos Nangy, 50, who is wanted for leading a group that carried out kidnappings with ransom demands in Mozambique.

The suspect, who was detained on a warrant and extradition request from the Mozambican government, was arrested in a luxury condominium near Pretoria.

According to Mozambique’s interior minister, Esmael Malude Ramos Nangy is among those suspected of organising the wave of kidnappings that have been taking place in Mozambique’s provincial capitals.

“Naturally, as the cases have not all been cleared up, this international arrest warrant was issued and the response is this, the detention of this citizen,” she added.

The arrest and extradition of the suspect was requested in July last year on the grounds that Esmael Malude Ramos Nangy was due to stand trial for “crimes of kidnapping and conspiracy committed in Mozambique.”

Maputo and other Mozambican cities, mainly provincial capitals, have again been the scene of a wave of kidnappings since 2020, mainly targeting 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 had been increasing and criminal groups had cross-border ramifications, maintaining cells in countries such as South Africa.

The magistrate said there are victims who are “constantly blackmailed”, even after their release, into paying sums of money to ensure they are not kidnapped again.

Source: Lusa