By Everson Luhanga
- Police tracked Mozambican kidnapper Dollarman to the R21 area where he was shot dead in a gunfight.
- The anti-kidnapping task team has arrested more than 337 kidnappers since July 2021 and seized 146 illegal firearms.
The South African Police Service anti-kidnapping task team has saved an Indian businessman who was being held in a shack in Alexandra.
The businessman was rescued shortly after midnight on Thursday, 4 September, following a gun battle with police hours earlier. He was kidnapped on 23 July in Benoni.
Officers tracked down the mastermind, a well-known Mozambican kidnapper called Dollarman, and cornered him near the R21 in Kempton Park on Wednesday evening.
A gunfight broke out and he was shot dead.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed the details, saying Dollarman was wanted in both South Africa and Mozambique.
He was on Mozambique’s national wanted list for multiple kidnappings for ransom.
In South Africa, he had been linked to at least five kidnappings and other crimes including housebreaking, carjacking and possession of illegal firearms.
Mathe said from July 2021 to now, police have arrested more than 337 kidnappers and seized over 146 unlicensed firearms.
She added that during the past week alone, police arrested more than 14,773 suspects for crimes including murder and rape.
At least 163 illegal guns were taken during Operation Shanela.
Pictured above: The car shot in the shootout and the crime scene.
Image source: Supplied
