Mozambique police have detained three people, including two agents, who allegedly tried to kidnap the son of a businessman in Chimoio, the capital of Manica province, in the center of the country, a source at the corporation said on Monday.
The kidnapping attempt was made on Saturday evening. According to a spokesman for the National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernik) in Manica, the victim allegedly pursued by the group managed to escape “until he informed the authorities” about the incident. this Monday, as the private television channel STV said.
“Work is underway to understand who the other gang members are in order to bring them to justice,” the spokesman said.
Among the detainees are a public security officer, a colony guard and a driver of a local shopping center.
The agents, who were off-duty, deny the allegations and claim they harassed the young man because he used drugs.
“We were surprised and outraged to learn that they tried to kidnap him, but this did not happen. We wanted to neutralize this person and send him to the nearest unit,” said a public security officer.
The Prosecutor General’s Office has already acknowledged the involvement of justices of the peace, lawyers and police investigators in the preparation of the abductions.
Mozambican prosecutors have accused 11 agents of the Criminal Investigation Service Anti-Kidnapping Brigade of attempting to kidnap an alleged drug dealer in the municipality of Matola, Maputo province.
Some Mozambican cities, especially provincial capitals, have again been hit by a spate of kidnappings since 2020, mostly businessmen or their families.
In a crime assessment released in early May, the Attorney General of the Republic of Mozambique said kidnapping crimes are on the rise and criminal groups have cross-border ramifications, maintaining cells in countries such as South Africa.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
