Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Mozambican criminal investigation service has detained two men with an “extensive record” and previous involvement in over 15 kidnappings and armed robberies, the SERNIC spokesperson said this Wednesday, describing the arrests as a “significant gain” in efforts to curb crime.
“To capture the fugitives, SERNIC conducted operational measures that culminated in the apprehension of two individuals with an extensive record and prior involvement in more than 15 kidnappings and aggravated robberies involving firearms,” said Hilário Lole, spokesperson for the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC), at a press conference in Maputo.
The suspects attempted to kidnap a businessman in Maputo province, southern Mozambique, on 12 February, Lole said. The attempt was foiled by police and resulted in the deaths of at least three people, including two members of the alleged kidnapper group and a teenage girl, during a shootout. At that time, the two men now detained managed to escape, he added.
According to Hilário Lole, one of the suspects, identified as the operations leader behind more than 15 kidnappings and robberies in Maputo and Matola, was arrested in the early hours of Friday while receiving medical treatment at a clinic in the Mozambican capital. “He was among those wanted by the Mozambican justice system, and we also had arrest warrants against him.
This detainee confessed to being the leader of a large kidnap operations group, which, in this operation that was foiled by SERNIC, comprised ten members, including two from the Republic of South Africa,” Lole said.
The second detainee, also arrested on Friday, is considered “one of the most dangerous on record” and, in addition to kidnappings, is alleged to have participated in a cash-in-transit robbery in Maputo in 2024.
“The operational result we are presenting represents a significant gain for the country in efforts to curb kidnappings. Therefore, we reaffirm that SERNIC, in full collaboration with the Defence and Security Forces, will continue to work diligently,” Lole stated.
On 13 November 2025, Mozambican Prime Minister Benvinda Levi said that nine out of ten kidnapping cases registered in 2025 had been resolved and the victims rescued, noting “relative improvements” in security despite “remnants of violence.”
Around 300 people involved in kidnapping cases have been detained since the first recorded incidents in Mozambique in 2010, the SERNIC spokesperson told Lusa on 23 October last year, clarifying that this figure is only approximate.
Figures released in 2024 by the Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTAi) indicated that approximately 150 businesspeople had been kidnapped in Mozambique over the previous 12 years, with around 100 leaving the country out of fear.
Source: Lusa
