SERNIC say no leads as yet on businesswoman kidnapped two weeks ago

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SERNIC say no leads as yet on businesswoman kidnapped two weeks ago

12:49 CAT | 31 May 2023

Photo: O País

The National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) says it is still working on rescuing the businesswoman kidnapped two weeks ago in Maputo city.

The businesswoman was kidnapped in front of her own clothing establishment in the early hours of the 16th of May, and almost two weeks later is separated from her family life, with SERNIC hunting for clues.

READ: Police to scan CCTV footage in latest Maputo kidnap investigation

“We are working to rescue the victim and neutralise the individuals who committed this criminal offence. We are working not only on this case, but also on other cases of kidnapping in Maputo city,” SERNIC spokesman Hilário Lole declared.

SERNIC is not revealing details of the status of the investigation, but guarantees that it will be clarified as soon as possible.

“There are clear developments. Work on the ground has been carried out by SERNIC, in coordination with various institutions, and we believe that, in a short period, we can secure the results inherent in this case,” Lole promised.

READ: Update: Kidnapping of Sheinaz Gani, owner of Fábrica de Confecções Sabina – Watch

The SERNIC spokesperson was speaking after the presentation, unconnected, of two individuals arrested on charges of selling and consuming drugs in Maputo’s Maxaquene and Mafalala neighbourhoods.

“I wasn’t selling drugs. I was in the backyard. I never sold drugs. I’m going to South Africa to buy clothes to resell. I am a trader,” explained one of the defendants, denying the accusation against him.

The other man, however, openly confessed: “They found me in a house, which is a smokehouse, selling drugs. I am a mason by profession. I don’t know how I got myself into this. The devil entered me”.

Those accused did not reveal the source of the drugs in question, but the National Criminal Investigation Service says it has good leads.

“We already have their identities in our possession. These individuals are also seen as potential drug traffickers in Maputo City and there are already some cases against them, as well as arrest warrants against them,” Lole commented.

The drugs presented this Tuesday – cannabis sativa, ‘rock’ and cocaine – were valued at 150,000 meticais.

Source: O País