A Benoni businessman has been safely rescued in Alexandra following a police operation that ended with a wanted kidnapping kingpin being fatally shot.
Businessman Found
The businessman, who was kidnapped in July in Benoni, was discovered shortly after midnight. Police found him held in a shack in Alexandra and immediately reunited him with his family.
@kemptonexpress A kidnapped Indian businessman has been safely reunited with his family after a dramatic SAPS Anti-Kidnapping Task Team operation that ended with the death of Mozambique’s most wanted kidnapping kingpin. The businessman was rescued shortly after midnight on Thursday, 4 September, when police discovered him being held in a shack in Alexandra. His release followed a shootout on Wednesday evening, 3 September, near the R21 freeway in Kempton Park. According to SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, the alleged mastermind behind the kidnapping – a Mozambican national known by the nickname “Dollarman” – was fatally wounded after ramming a police vehicle and opening fire on officers. No police members were injured during the exchange. Dollarman was listed on Mozambique’s wanted persons database (SERNIC) for multiple kidnappings-for-ransom. In South Africa, he has been linked to at least nine cases, including five kidnapping-for-ransom incidents, as well as housebreaking, theft, hijacking, and possession of unlicensed firearms. The businessman’s kidnapping in July in Benoni was under investigation when police traced ransom money to accounts linked to Dollarman, leading to Wednesday’s confrontation on the R21. SAPS confirmed that since July 2021, the Anti-Kidnapping Task Team has arrested more than 337 suspects and seized over 146 illegal firearms across the country. #kemptonexpress #kemptonpark #crimetok #Crime #SAPS #kempton #HappeningNow #TiktokNews #policeofficer #localnews #Kidnapping ♬ original sound - KemptonExpress
Shootout on the R21
The operation came after investigators traced ransom money to accounts linked to the suspected mastermind, a Mozambican national known as Dollarman. He was confronted on the R21 near Kempton Park. During the incident, Dollarman rammed a police vehicle and opened fire before being fatally shot. No officers were injured.
Criminal Record
The slain suspect was wanted on Mozambique’s SERNIC database for multiple kidnappings-for-ransom. In South Africa, he was linked to at least nine cases, including five kidnappings-for-ransom, hijackings, housebreakings, theft, and possession of illegal firearms.
Anti-Kidnapping Efforts
Since July 2021, the SAPS Anti-Kidnapping Task Team has arrested over 337 suspects and seized more than 146 illegal firearms. The rescue of the Benoni businessman marks the latest success in combating organised kidnappings.
