The National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic) presented this Wednesday in Beira a suspect in the kidnapping of a student from the Catholic University of Mozambique, which took place in May in the provincial capital of Sofale.
“This person was arrested on August 16, 2022 in the province of Maputo, based on an arrest warrant issued by the judicial court of the province of Sofala,” Alfeu Sitoe, Sernic’s representative in the central province of Sofala, told reporters from Mozambique.
Authorities name the 32-year-old man as one of the kidnappers of a student at the Catholic University of Mozambique, a crime that took place on May 19.
The 19-year-old victim, the daughter of a local businessman, was abducted immediately after leaving the university building by three unidentified men who were being driven in a car.
Authorities confirmed that the young woman would be released in a few weeks, but did not provide details of the circumstances.
In addition to this crime, Sernik’s spokesman continued, the man is accused of attempting to rob an establishment in the city of Beira, and also appears in another businessman kidnapping case that occurred in October 2020.
“As can be seen from his biography, this is a man with convincing evidence of the practice of various crimes against the property and freedom of people,” Beira Alfeu Sitoe emphasized.
Some Mozambican cities, mostly provincial capitals, have again been hit by a spate of kidnappings since 2020, mostly businessmen or their family members.
In a crime assessment released in early June, 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.
According to Beatriz Bucili, 14 criminal cases of kidnappings were registered in 2021 compared to 18 in 2020, but there are other cases that are not officially recorded, and the outcome of most of them is unknown.
In November 2021, the police of the Republic of Mozambique began to form a mixed force to respond to this type of crime, a group of officers who are trained by Rwandan specialists.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
