News24 | Two kidnapping victims rescued in Gauteng, 4 alleged kidnappers in custody and one in hospital

Saps' elite Special Task Force unit rescued two kidnapping victims in Benoni on Monday afternoon. (Saps/Supplied)

• Two kidnapping victims were rescued in Gauteng on Monday.
• The men were allegedly kidnapped in Benoni on Sunday.
• One of the alleged kidnappers was shot dead, four were taken into custody, and a sixth was wounded in the shootout.

Two kidnapping victims have been rescued in the latest operation aimed at cracking down on kidnapping syndicates in Benoni.

During the operation, four alleged kidnappers were taken into custody; one was wounded in a shootout and taken to hospital, and a sixth was shot dead.

The South African Police Service's elite Special Task Force (STF) unit rescued the victims at an informal settlement in Crystal Park, Benoni, on Monday afternoon, according to police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe.

Mathe said:

She added that on Monday afternoon, the team "pounced on the kidnappers", and a shootout ensued.

"One kidnapper was shot and killed, one was wounded and taken to hospital, and the other four were arrested and taken into police custody," she said.

"SAPS assures communities that may be victims of this type of crime that it has the necessary expertise and capabilities to intercept and take down syndicates involved in kidnappings where ransom demands are made."

News24 reported last week that two kidnapped Portuguese businessmen were rescued, and six alleged kidnappers were arrested in Gauteng.

The first was rescued last Monday, and the second on Thursday. Both were found in Soweto.

READ | Joburg businessman's kidnapper traced after allegedly using victim's credit card to buy booze

In the first half of 2024, 54 alleged kidnappers who operated in Gauteng, the North West, Mpumalanga and the Free State were arrested.

Between July and September last year, 4 300 kidnappings took place, with 2 194 of those in Gauteng.

Ransoms were demanded in 136 cases, and four were linked to extortion.

According to police, in the past two years, more than 200 alleged kidnappers have been arrested.

Since the start of the year, more than R390 million has been demanded in a string of ransoms in almost 80 SAPS Anti-Kidnapping Unit investigations.