The owner of a small neighbourhood shop in Rusthof, Strand, who was kidnapped in broad daylight last month (March) was reunited with his family, while two suspects in a different kidnapping case in Grabouw were recently apprehended by police.
Dawit Abiso (40), owner of a small neighbourhood shop, was allegedly kidnapped in Rusthof, Strand on Wednesday 15 March. He was busy offloading stock outside his shop in Tokai Road when a white Isuzu bakkie with an unknown licence plate pulled up. Two men jumped out with firearms, forcing him into the bakkie. The suspects looted two cellphones, a Samsung J1 and Samsung A3 from the shop before returning to the vehicle and speeding off. Strand police confirmed they were investigating a case of kidnapping and at the time of going to print on Monday (20 March) Abiso was still missing (“Business owner kidnapped”, DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette, 22 March).
Zinzi Hani, spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) in the Western Cape, confirmed Abiso received medical attention in a hospital on Tuesday 28 March before being reunited with his family. She confirmed the matter was still under investigation and at this stage no suspects had yet been arrested.
In another non-related kidnapping, a victim from Grabouw was kidnapped and murdered in March. Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile, Provincial Commissioner of the Western Cape, has welcomed the arrest of two suspects aged 33 and 34 who were successfully connected with the kidnapping and alleged murder of another businessman from Grabouw.
According to Police spokesperson Captain Malcolm Pojie the victim, Saeed Mansour, was visited by his former business partners, the accused, at his business in Grabouw on Friday 31 March.
“The duo allegedly confronted Mansour about a substantial amount of cash from the business profits they suspected him of taking without consent,” he said. “They then forced him into their car and took off. He was later reported as missing and a kidnapping case was initially opened,” said Pojie.
He confirmed one of the accused was arrested on Tuesday 4 April in Grabouw, and on Friday 7 April the second in Queenstown. “Both were detained in the Grabouw police holding cells. During further investigations, one of the accused cooperated and pointed out where the body of the deceased was buried and later exhumed from a makeshift grave along Baden Powell Drive near Mitchell’s Plain. the scene was examined by forensic experts and members of the integrated Anti-Kidnapping Task Team.”
The duo appeared in the Grabouw Magistrates’ Court last Tuesday (11 April) on charges of kidnapping and murder.
The police’s provincial management has lauded the efforts of the integrated task team in bringing the suspects to book.
