Police have arrested a 38-year-old suspect in connection with the kidnapping and extortion of two Indian men from Polokwane, with the incident dating back to August 2025.
The suspect, a resident of Mokomotji village, is alleged to have been part of a gang that abducted the victims, aged 41 and 43, on Thursday, 21 August 2025. According to police, the victims were taken while driving a blue Ford Ranger at Thlabine village in the Maake policing area.
The suspects contacted the victims’ family and demanded a ransom of R70,000. The amount was paid into the victims’ account and later withdrawn at various banks in Tzaneen.
The case was reported to police, and the victims’ vehicle was subsequently recovered at a car wash in Lenyenye township, also within the Maake policing area. The victims were released unharmed in the vicinity.
One suspect was initially arrested in possession of the victims’ bank cards. Further investigations led police to identify and link the 38-year-old man to the incident.
On Tuesday, 24 March 2026, members of the Mopani Tracking Team, Mopani Highway Patrol, and Maake Tracing Team arrested the suspect at a shebeen in Mokomotji village. A search of his residence uncovered a firearm and ammunition hidden inside a used nappy bag.
The suspect failed to produce valid documentation for the weapon, resulting in additional charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
He is expected to appear before the Maake Magistrate’s Court soon on charges of kidnapping, extortion, and possession of an unlicensed firearm.
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