Police rescue businessman kidnapped in Maxixe on Friday evening

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Police rescue businessman kidnapped in Maxixe on Friday evening

11:24 CAT | 10 Jul 2017

Folha de Maputo / Surveillance cameras captured the abduction

Five people carrying firearms abducted a businessman last Friday night in Maxixe, Inhambane province, but he was rescued alive and well on Saturday morning by the Police of Republic of Mozambique (PRM).

Kanassin Gentilal, a successful wholesaler, was kidnapped outside his house at around 6:45 p.m. on his return home from work and subsequently rescued at the Mawayela administrative post in Panda district, 150 kilometres away.

His abduction was captured on surveillance camera, showing the businessman being dragged by three men from his white vehicle into another used by the kidnappers, the registration number of which has not been disclosed.

Two other members of the gang then got out of the car and walked towards the victim’s vehicle, as if to check whether anyone else was inside or not.

Provincial PRM commander in Inhambane Joaquim Nido said Gentilal was in the hands of kidnappers for more than eight hours.

The rescue operation netted one alleged member of the kidnapping gang and two vehicles. The man detained lives in the Homoíne district.

Gentilal, who is recovering from the traumatic incident well, told Mozambican Television (TVM) that he had not been mistreated by his kidnappers.

This is the second publicly known kidnapping in the city of Maxixe. The first occurred on August 18, 2014, and the victim was again successfully rescued 24 hours later.

One of the kidnappers, identified by the name of A. C. Mabica and a resident of Maputo’s Machava Socimol neighbourhood, was tried and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

The Third Criminal Division of the provincial court of Inhambane concluded that Mabica, accompanied by three fellow gang members, identified but still at large, carried out the kidnapping of a merchant under the guidance of one Jose Omega, alleged head of the gang and also still at large.

Mabica was also accused of several abductions in the cities of Maputo and Matola, to which he confessed.

During his trial, he revealed that he had participated in at least three abductions. In the first, the victim was an entrepreneur and owner of a yard in Matola, who was held captive in Matola-Rio.

The second victim was the owner of Somofer’s yard, in the Maputo’s Jardim neighbourhood. He was kept in captivity in Malhanpwsene, in Matola.

In the third abduction, the victim was the son of the owner of a commercial establishment, and was held captive in Matola-Gare.

Source: A Verdade