BUT KIDNAPPERS ESCAPE

The Mozambican police announced on Tuesday the rescue of Hariche Arquissandas, the businessman of Indian descent who was kidnapped from his Maputo home last week, but for the second time the kidnap gang managed to escape.Arquissandas was kidnapped on 24 November from his house in the neighbourhood of Triunfo. The drama was filmed by a surveillance camera and subsequently shown on Mozambican television channels and on social media.The police tracked the kidnappers down on Friday to a hideout in Liberdade, a suburb in the adjoining city of Matola, but the gang was tipped off and fled with their victim shortly before the police arrived.According to the Maputo City police spokesperson, Orlando Mudumane, cited by the independent daily “O Pais”, on Tuesday the police were rather more successful. They rescued Arquissandas from a second hideout, in Ndlhavela, also in Matola, but once again the police movements were known to the gang in advance and they escaped.

A trap had been set for them – the kidnappers were expecting to receive the ransom they had demanded for the release of Arquissandas. But when they were tipped off about the police presence, they fled, and no money was handed over. Mudumane did not reveal how large the ransom demanded was.“Unfortunately once again we were unable to neutralize the kidnappers”, said Mudumane, “but not everything is lost. We managed to rescue the victim and before his family handed over the money to the kidnappers”.He said the police have “strong clues” and was optimistic that these would allow them to arrest the kidnappers later this week.