Maputo, Mozambique – Mozambican police have announced the arrest of two men, suspected of belonging to a group that was planning to kidnap a businessman in the capital, Maputo. The police operation, which took place on Thursday 9 November, at around 12:00, uncovered a wider scheme, including a list of future victims.
Hilário Lole, spokesman for the National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic) in Maputo, revealed that the arrest took place in the city centre, when the group, made up of six individuals, four Mozambicans and two South Africans, was preparing to carry out the kidnapping of a businessman of Indian origin.
Among those arrested are a 59-year-old man and his 28-year-old son, one of whom was on parole after a conviction in 2012 for a similar crime. The police managed to seize two vehicles and images of several potential victims, as well as information about past and planned kidnappings.
This operation comes amid growing concern about the phenomenon of kidnappings in Mozambique, particularly in cities such as Maputo. Sernic is stepping up efforts to protect the targeted businessman and his family, and hopes that these arrests will contribute to a temporary decline in such crimes.
Recently, Mozambican police reported an incident involving the businessman Juneide Lalgy, who was chased by unknown individuals in the city of Matola, managing to escape. This case, together with the kidnapping of a young Portuguese-Mozambican woman 13 days ago, underlines the seriousness of the situation.
Portugal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed it is following the case of the kidnapped young woman, in collaboration with the local authorities. At the same time, Sernic is reinforcing its determination to combat this type of crime, with the creation of a specialised unit, whose officers have already been selected, as announced by Prime Minister Adriano Maleiane.
Since 2021, 28 cases of kidnapping have been recorded in Mozambique, of which 15 have been solved, according to Government data. The creation of this specialised unit, supported by cooperation partners, is a significant step in the fight against this type of crime that has been plaguing the country, especially in its major cities.
