Bank Employee and 2 Others Arrested in Road Accident Fund Kidnapping and Extortion Scheme

• A bank employee and two accomplices were arrested for repeatedly kidnapping a man to extort his Road Accident Fund (RAF) payout
• The suspects made numerous attempts to access the man's money by hijacking and kidnapping him and his niece
• South Africans are outraged at the bank employee's involvement and weighed in on how banks operate

DURBAN - A bank employee and two accomplices have been arrested for kidnapping a man with the intention of getting their hands on his Road Accident Fund (RAF) payout.

The man was kidnapped on numerous occassions, hijacked and extorted for money since January this year. The suspects made three attempts to get their hands on the man's RAF money before they were caught in Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal.

RAF beneficiary and family kidnapped for money

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According to SowetanLIVE, in January, the man was hijacked by an armed man who demanded R50 000 for his release.

A few months later, the man was accosted for another R50 000 after a hitman approached him. The alleged hitman told him to transfer R50 000 to spare his life.

In May 2023, the suspects hijacked and kidnapped the man again. They drove him to a bank where a bank employee who was working with the criminals attempted to move his money from his other accounts to his main account.

The man's wife found out that her husband had been kidnapped and froze her husband's accounts. Hawks KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Lt-Col Simphiwe Mhlongo said the criminals let the man go but continued relentlessly going after his money.

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Mhlongo said after the man was released, the suspects tried to kidnap the wife to force her to get the accounts reopened but could not find her. They kidnapped his niece instead, according to IOL.

The victim decided to open a case of kidnapping and extortion, which led to the suspects' arrest and the niece's safe return.

Mzansi appalled at the criminality

Maziya Re said:

"One wonders what types of movies they watch. Did they take a leaf out of some low-budget movie?"

Dlop-line KaMsakazo Madlopha said:

"Working in the bank must be the toughest job ever. You touch all the money that does not belong to you while bomashonisa bayakufuna."

Thandi Msimang said:

"I hate what Nedbank did to its banks. That open plan nonsense where you must speak to a junior Nedbank staff member about your most personal financial affairs. Then you're frog-marched to an ATM being watched by people loitering in the foyer to withdraw or make a new pin to your card. Who came up with that nonsense?"

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Man who tried to scam Road Accident Fund slapped with a fine

Briefly News previously reported that an Eastern Cape man thought he could get a massive payday by scamming the Road Accident Fund (RAF).

Mzwandile Patrick Msutwana, 56, tried to claim over R2 million from the RAF by claiming he was injured in a hit-and-run. In 2021, Msutwana claimed that he was knocked over by an unknown driver on Madikane Street, New Brighton, in Gqeberha.

Source: Briefly News