Africa-Press – Mozambique. Unidentified individuals today kidnapped an 18-year-old girl in the city of Beira, central Mozambique, witnesses told Lusa. Her father is a local businessman in the commerce sector.
This is the latest case in a wave of kidnappings that have targeted entrepreneurs and their families in Mozambique.
The kidnapping took place around 10 am, on a street near the Catholic University of Mozambique (UCM), where the victim was walking with her colleague, waiting for a snack to be prepared.
The victim was buying food at street stalls in the Ponta Gea neighbourhood , when, “suddenly, four men with a weapon got out of a car, took it, took it into the car and left”, described one of the people. on site.
“She was accompanied by a colleague,” the witness added.
Contacted by Lusa, the family declined to comment.
The police referred any comments for a later point in time.
According to a witness cited by O País, while the two colleagues were walking slowly, a light vehicle, with four occupants, approached them and, with the car already immobilized, two individuals got out.
“One of them ran to the victim and started dragging her into the car. The other kidnapper, who was holding a weapon, threatened anyone who tried to help the kidnap victim, and then they left at high speed”, the same witness told O País.
The victim’s colleague explained, cited by O País: “a gentleman of black race, with short hair, wearing shorts”, by the way, one of the kidnappers, who was armed, “held my arm and made an effort for me not to move that hand that had the cell phone, it was then that he ended up pointing the gun at me. People who were in the vicinity approached to try to help me, but they were all threatened and retreated. Suddenly, I heard my colleague screaming ‘help’ and calling for me. I looked at her and saw a gentleman dragging her to the car they had gotten out of. The one who was holding me ran to the car, helped the other one, and they left at high speed”.
The kidnapped young woman is the daughter of a local businessman. The Police were immediately informed and, until the closing of this report, several specialties of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) were on site investigating this case. The authorities say they will make a statement in due course.
Watch the TVM report.
Student Safiyah Firoz (18) kidnapped outside a university in Beira, Mozambique. There has been a series of kidnappings in the country over the past few years. @clubOmozambique @INTERPOL_HQ @SAPoliceService pic.twitter.com/KT04aXNdca
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) May 19, 2022
In an assessment of crime, presented earlier this month, the Attorney General of the Republic of Mozambique said that kidnapping crimes have been increasing and criminal groups have cross-border ramifications, maintaining cells in countries such as South Africa.
According to Beatriz Buchili, 14 criminal cases for kidnapping were registered in 2021, against 18 in 2020, not counting cases that escape official accounting.
The attorney general also said that the “abduction victims” are “constantly blackmailed” by the kidnappers, even after being released, to continue paying them sums of money, aggravating the feeling of insecurity.
