JOHANNESBURG – A 23-year-old woman and a man have been arrested in Soweto for allegedly staging a fake kidnapping in an attempt to extort ransom money from the woman’s family.
According to police spokesperson Amanda van Wyk, the woman was reported missing in Randburg last week, and soon after, her family received a ransom demand.
A multidisciplinary police task team, including various law enforcement units, launched an investigation and tracked the suspects to a house in Moroka, where the woman was allegedly being held captive.
However, further police investigations uncovered a shocking twist—the kidnapping had been staged by the woman and her accomplice.
“The operation led the team to an identified address in Moroka where both the supposed victim and her alleged kidnapper were found. Further investigations revealed that the kidnapping had been staged by the woman and the kidnapper. Both were subsequently arrested. The investigation remains ongoing,” said Van Wyk.
Both suspects are now facing charges of kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice.
Police have warned that staging fake crimes not only wastes critical resources but also undermines real investigations into genuine cases of kidnapping and crime.