Four arrested for allegedly kidnapping KZN teenager appear in court
A 17-year-old Pietermaritzburg pupil who was kidnapped while driving home in May, is happy to be home and will be getting the assistance he needs to get ready for his matric exams.
Four Pakistani men accused of kidnapping a Pietermaritzburg teenager in May, have appeared in court. The matter has been remanded to June 13 for an interpreter to assist, as the men speak Urdu. Abdul Manteen Khalid was rescued after being held hostage in an outbuilding on the KZN South Coast
A 17-year-old Pietermaritzburg pupil who was kidnapped while driving home in May, is happy to be home and will be getting the assistance he needs to get ready for his matric exams.
Abdul Mateen Khalid had been driving along Brixham Road at Raisethorpe in Pietermaritzburg when he was stopped by the suspects who pretended to be police officers. They took him out of his vehicle and fled the scene. The suspects later demanded R11.5 million from the family.
KwaZulu-Natal Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo said he was rescued from an outbuilding on the KZN south coast this week.
The family said they are happy to have him back home. They have also expressed their thanks to the team who tracked down their son.
In an interview with The Citizen, his mother, Bhasharat Khalid, said he was shocked when she received the call from his captors. She told the publication that she pleaded with the suspects not to harm her son.
Abdul said he thought the suspects were police officers because they were wearing police vests. He recounted how he had to put up with terrible conditions while in the outbuilding.
He said he was in a room without a bed and slept on the floor. He said he could not sleep at night and when he heard rescue teams calling his name, he realised he was being helped.
Meanwhile, the four people accused of kidnapping Abdul are from Pakistan.
Omar Riaz, Mohamed Faisal, Rana Yaseen and Nayeed Khan appeared in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
The matter was remanded for a translator to be present, as the men speak Urdu.
Two other accused, Thulani Mncwabe and Thembinkosi Hadebe have already appeared in court on related charges. Both men have prior convictions and Hadebe spent eight years behind bars for a robbery in 2004. They are due back in court on June 13 and are expected to join their co-accused.
IOL
