Gauteng SAPS Rescue Tshwane Boy Who Was Kidnapped and Held Hostage for 3 Days

• The South African Police Service rescued a 4-year-old boy in Tshwane after he was kidnapped on 21 January 2025
• The child was kidnapped from the house of his father's friend, and the police found him in Danville on 24 January 2025
• Afghanistan and Pakistani nationals were arrested, and netizens called for the suspects to be deported

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered criminal activities, police investigations, police shootouts and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

DANVILLE, TSHWANE — The South African Police Service (SAPS) arrested two foreign nationals for kidnapping a four-year-old boy from the home of his father's friend in Laudium, Tshwane, on 21 January 2025. He was found three days later in Danville, Pretoria.

Toddler kidnapped in Laudium found

According to the South African Police Service, five undocumented foreign nationals aged between 24 and 37 were arrested for kidnapping the little boy from his father's friend's house in Laudium. The suspects demanded that the parents pay a ransom of an undisclosed amount of money. The Afghan parents of the boy called the police and reported the kidnapping.

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The police teamed up with private security companies and chased every possible lead to locate the child. They made a breakthrough on 24 January when they located the vehicle that the kidnappers used to commit the crime. Two suspects were arrested. The suspects led the team to a house in Danville, where they rescued the child.

Two more suspects were arrested, and a fifth suspect, known to the family, was arrested after further investigations. The police recovered an unlicensed firearm. The suspects are expected to appear before the Attridgeville Magistrates Court, and the child was reunited with his family.

Kidnapped and rescued children

• Police in Soweto rescued an infant who was kidnapped from his home in Dobsonville in 2023
• An eight-year-old boy in KwaZulu-Natal was rescued one day after he was kidnapped in April 2024
• The North West police rescued a little boy who was kidnapped during a robbery in May

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South Africans slam kidnappers

Netizens commenting on Facebook demanded that the suspects be sent back to their home countries.

Thabo Dismental Kgomo said:

"We didn't know kidnappings for ransom until these people came."

Luja Ringeta said:

"Mass illegal immigrant deportation is the solution, but our present politicians enjoy hearing evil things happening to innocent, defenceless people."

Master Maestro said:

"Those arrested foreigners must be deported and do jail time in their countries, please."

Mhg Mhlengwe Chauke said:

"South Africa is a playground."

Lucky Kgatle said:

"There is no place that I hate more than Laudium."

2 Chinese nationals rescued after kidnap-for-ransom

In a related article, Briefly News reported that two Chinese women were rescued after they were kidnapped from Johannesburg. The suspects took them to Alexandra and demanded a ransom.

The women were buying a camera when the suspects approached their vehicle. They robbed their driver of his gun and his vehicle and transported them to Alex, where they demanded a R20,000 ransom. The ransom was paid, and the police rescued them.

Source: Briefly News