News24 | Eastern Cape man shot and killed as he tries - and fails - to stop father's abduction

The crime scene where the Gqeberha businessman was kidnapped and his son fatally wounded on Hart Street, Sidwell.

• A man was shot dead and his father kidnapped in Gqeberha this week.
• Mystery still surrounds the circumstances of the incident.
• There was no ransom demand, and the man was still missing on Friday.

Terrifying screams, followed by the explosive sound of gunfire and the screeching sound of tires as a vehicle sped away, was how employees of surrounding businesses described an attack outside a scrap metal yard in Hart Street, Gqeberha.

The incident left a man dead and his businessman father kidnapped.

Brazen, balaclava-clad individuals in two Toyota Corollas stopped outside the gate of Inders Scrap Metal on Tuesday, shortly after 11:00, forcing the owner into one of the cars before quickly fleeing the scene.

Bir-Devinder Singh, 27, desperately tried to stop his father's kidnapping, clinging onto him, pulling his arm to get him back into the yard, but he was shot by one of the perpetrators in the process.

He died at the scene minutes later.

The group fled with his father, Inder Singh, who was still missing on Friday afternoon.

READ | More than 430 kidnappings in Western Cape during first six months of 2023

Informed sources said there had been no ransom demand, and mystery still surrounded the circumstances of the incident.

The Hawks are still trying to establish a motive.

Hawks spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela confirmed the incident, but said the docket was only recently handed to them [by SAPS], and there had been no new developments. 

"The incident report received so far contains the details forwarded [to the media]," she said on Friday.

Eyewitnesses, who spoke under condition of anonymity, said the kidnapped victim's screams were deafening.

"It was difficult to hear him scream like that when they took him. He fought back and did not go easily," the man said.

According to the witness, he saw approximately eight individuals at the scene. The father was standing outside the gate of his premises when they grabbed him.

"The son followed them and pulled on his father's arm, and struggled to get him out of their grip. One guy simply turned around and shot him in the abdomen. He used a rifle," the witness claimed.

"He was still moving when we got to him, but you could see that he was not going to make it," another witness said. 

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"It was the weirdest thing. We saw the bullet wound. It was in the lower part of the abdomen, but there was no sight of blood at all. The paramedics tried for more than half an hour to resuscitate him."

When News24 visited the business on Friday, the large gate was closed, and all the doors were shut.

A man came from an office inside and peeped through an opening in the gate.

He said the business was closed.

"I am new here. I don't know much, but they killed my relative and we are now closed. We might open again next week," he said.

The investigation continues.