Police Confirms Kidnapping of Chinese Businessman in Tete, Demand of US$1M

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Police Confirms Kidnapping of Chinese Businessman in Tete, Demand of US$1M

9:20 CAT | 14 Jan 2016

Unknown assailants have kidnapped a businessman of Chinese origin in the western Mozambican city of Tete, and are demanding a million US dollars for his release, confirmed the spokesperson for the Tete provincial police command, Lurdes Ferreira.

The victim, Lee Yit, is owner of the Arco Iris quarry. He was seized in the Tete neighbourhood of Chingodzi, where he was in the company of a second Chinese citizen. The assailants left the second man with Lee’s car, and bundled their victim into their own vehicle. The second Chinese citizen immediately contacted the police and informed them of the kidnapping.

“The police confirm the abduction of this Chinese business person”, said Ferreira. “We are strengthening our measures in order to arrest the kidnappers”.

A wave of kidnappings of business people, mostly of Asian origin, began in Mozambican cities in late 2011, but Ferreira said this was the first time such an abduction had been reported in Tete.

There has been an influx of Chinese business people into Tete province recently, mostly connected with the timber industry.

There have, however, been other types of kidnappings. Since early December, three albino children have been kidnapped in the Tete districts of Marara, Angonia and Moatize. It is feared that the children may be murdered in order to harvest their body parts for use in black magic rituals.

Other businessmen in Tete have expressed concern at the kidnapping of Lee Yit, and are demanding strong measures from the police.

According to what A Verdade reported last week, Lee Yit’s abduction would have taken place on January 1.

Source: AIM