Three suspected kidnappers were shot dead in a police shootout in Mariannhill, KZN, as authorities tackle a surge in abductions and ransom-related crimes across the province.
Image: Supplied
Three suspected kidnappers were shot and killed during a shootout with police in Mariannhill, west of Durban, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, as KwaZulu-Natal continues to grapple with a string of kidnappings and ransom-related crimes reported across the province in recent days.
KwaZulu-Natal police said the suspects were being sought in connection with a kidnapping and fraud case reported in Greenwood Park, as well as charges relating to the illegal possession of firearms.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said officers received intelligence about the whereabouts of the suspects and tracked them to Milky Way Road in Mariannhill.
“When police attempted to stop the vehicle, the suspects ignored instructions and sped off, resulting in a chase,” said Netshiunda.
He said a shootout broke out during the operation before the suspects’ vehicle lost control and crashed into a tree.
“The three suspects were shot and fatally wounded during the shootout. No police officer was injured,” he said.
Police recovered two firearms and several rounds of ammunition from the suspects.
The fatal shootout comes days after police rescued a woman who was allegedly kidnapped after recently receiving a Road Accident Fund (RAF) payout.
The woman was abducted together with seven other people from a home in the Sundumbili area on the north coast in the early hours of May 15.
While the other victims were later released in KwaDabeka, the woman was taken to an undisclosed location.
The Provincial Tracking Team later arrested three suspects and rescued the woman unharmed at a property in Phoenix.
Police said the suspects attempted several financial transactions using the victim’s funds and managed to spend about R30,000.
In another incident last week, police rescued a truck driver who had been hijacked and kidnapped near Dundee.
The driver was accosted by armed suspects travelling in a red sedan along the R68 Dundee-Nquthu road before being forced into the suspects’ vehicle.
Police later traced and rescued the victim in Glencoe after the suspects allegedly demanded a R100,000 ransom.
A 57-year-old suspect was arrested in connection with the case, while a manhunt for additional suspects remains under way.