News24 | Kidnapped Gqeberha woman dropped off by abductors, reunited with family

Lindsay Knowlden, 65, was kidnapped at the Nelson Mandela Bay Fresh Produce Market in Gqeberha, sparking a desperate search.

• Kidnapped Lindsay Knowlden has been reunited with her family.
• She was returned unharmed on Wednesday morning.
• Knowlden was dropped off in a street by her abductors.

A 65-year-old Gqeberha woman, who was kidnapped on Saturday, has been reunited with her family.

Lindsay Knowlden’s family on Wednesday morning confirmed that she had been returned home.

Family spokesperson John Best said that Knowlden had been dropped off on a street in Bethelsdorp at around midnight.

“She just called out for help, and a family took her in,” he said.

Best said the family had contacted Knowlden’s husband and the police, and she had been reunited with her family shortly after.

Knowlden and her husband were apparently accosted outside the Nelson Mandela Bay Fresh Produce Market in Markman, north of the CBD, early on Saturday morning.

News24 previously reported that Knowlden and her husband were accosted by armed men in the underground parking lot after arriving for work.

He was assaulted with a firearm and suffered a laceration to his eye, while she was bundled into a silver Polo and then driven away.

Knowlden’s husband is an agent at the market, and she worked for him.

READ | ‘Wonderful’ and ‘loved by all’ - 65-year-old woman reported kidnapped in Gqeberha

Best confirmed that a ransom had been demanded, but declined to comment further as the case is still under investigation by the Hawks.

He added that Knowlden had said that five men had abducted her, but that her family had not pushed her for more information at this stage. He said that Knowlden’s doctor had examined her and given her a clean bill of health.

Hawks spokesperson, Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana, was unable to confirm any information around Knowlden’s rescue at the time of publication. His response will be added once received.