A routine child neglect inquiry led police to uncover a terrifying house robbery and kidnapping in Orange Farm, Gauteng, resulting in the arrest of two suspects.
Two men, aged 26 and 58, were arrested following a terrifying kidnapping involving a family in Amelia, Zamdela.
The arrests took place after the family endured a night of fear and captivity at a house in Orange Farm, Gauteng.
The ordeal began late on Monday, at around 11pm, when the family’s 63-year-old patriarch heard the sound of their front door being broken.
“He came across four unknown males carrying firearms standing in his bedroom, demanding money,” said police spokesperson Captain Loraine Earle.
The intruders then rounded up the victim, his 55-year-old wife, and their three adult children, aged 38, 33, and 26.
The family was forced into the living room, where the robbers confiscated their cellphones and demanded access to their banking app PINs, stealing a substantial sum from their accounts.
To prevent escape, the suspects tied the family’s hands, covered their heads with pillowcases, and loaded them into two separate vehicles, one of which belonged to the family.
They were then driven to an RDP house in Orange Farm, where they were held hostage throughout the night.
The police received a report on Tuesday, around 10am regarding a child neglect situation, which led them to uncover the house robbery and kidnapping.
A joint task force, including the Fezile Dabi District Trio Task Team and other specialised units, immediately launched an investigation. Following leads, police discovered the family’s vehicle abandoned near Drieziek, Orange Farm.
“On the same day, at about 12.50pm, the family was dropped and left unharmed near the Drieziek squatter camp,” Earle said.
Officers later traced the suspects to the RDP house, where they arrested two individuals.
“The investigation is ongoing, and more arrests are expected,” Earle said.
The suspects are expected to appear soon in the Sasolburg Magistrates Court on charges of house robbery and kidnapping.
IOL