Three suspects charged over kidnapping of car buyer near Pretoria
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on SAnews
South African police have arrested three men, aged 18 and 19, charged with armed robbery and kidnapping of a man who went to buy a car via Facebook Marketplace in Winterveldt, near Pretoria. According to the police (SAPS), two other suspects fled and investigators are examining a link with similar incidents, BuaNews reports.
The three suspects arrested after the attack on a man who had come to buy a Suzuki Swift for 20,000 rand have been charged with armed robbery and kidnapping, according to the South African Police Service (SAPS). The vehicle had been advertised on Facebook Marketplace, and the buyer had travelled from Springs to Winterveldt, north of Pretoria, on 12 November.
On 13 November at about 2pm, members of the Online Task Team of the Loate police accompanied the victim to the scene. There, he identified a group of about five men, leading to the arrest of three suspects aged 18 and 19, while two others fled, SAnews reports. The victim had not been able to lay a complaint on the day of the attack because of his condition after the incident.
Major General Samuel Thine, district commissioner for Tshwane, praised the police intervention. He urged users of online sales platforms to favour public places, notably police stations, to avoid travelling alone and not to carry large sums of money.
The investigation must also determine whether the three men could be linked to other similar cases reported in the area, according to SAPS.
