Police are remaining tight-lipped following the "abduction" of yet another high profile businessman in Gauteng over the weekend.
Shiraz Gathoo, the owner of Devland Cash and Carry in Eldorado Park, was allegedly abducted by a group of armed men posing as police, on the N12 in Johannesburg on Saturday.
According to reports, Gathoo was pulled from his vehicle and shoved into another one by his alleged abductors. His car was found on the N12.
It is believed that a ransom amount was demanded from the kidnappers. Recently a wealthy Pretoria businessman, Omar Carrim was released by his kidnappers, after being held hostage for about 4 months. His family is believed to have paid a huge amount for his safe return.
In the past year, about 15 cases of kidnappings were reported.
Late last year, the body of 32-year-old North West businessman, Hasan Parvej, was found after he was abducted from his store, 70km from Mahikeng. He was kidnapped for R1 million ransom.
His family only managed to raise R70 000 and allegedly asked for more time.
On December 27, Shamshuddin Patel, 44, of the SI Hardware Group, was kidnapped in Thohoyandou in Limpopo after being stopped by men dressed in traffic police uniform.
The gang demanded a huge amount of cash and threatened to kill the businessman if the cash was not paid immediately.
Patel was released unharmed at the Capricorn Toll Plaza.
A number of months earlier, Cape Town businessman Sadek Zhaun Ahmed was released after being kidnapped and held for several weeks.
His family is also reportedly to have paid a large ransom.
Businessman Naushad Deshmukh Khan, 46, of Cape Town was kidnapped in late 2016 and held for weeks.
His family is believed to have paid huge amounts in ransom and was freed.
Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo, the national SAPS spokesperson, said the kidnapping of any person was a serious concern.
"We ask that people, especially businessmen and women, take reasonable precautions to safeguard themselves. We will also welcome any information on syndicates or individuals that may be committing these crimes. This will enable us to respond pro-actively."
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