Maputo, 30 Jun (AIM) – The Mozambican police have announced that on Friday night they aborted an attempted kidnapping of the owner of a central Maputo petrol station, and shot dead one of the would-be kidnappers, who turned out to be a South African citizen.
According to Maputo city police spokesperson Leonel Muchina, speaking at a Saturday press conference, at about 20.30 the South African entered the convenience store alongside the petrol pumps, located in OMM Square, and said he wanted to buy sweets.
But firemen on duty nearby distrusted this man and contacted the police. When the police approached him, the South African drew a gun and shot one of the police officers in the chest.
The kidnapper then tried to escape, but the police shot him. Although injured, he continued to run, but collapsed at a nearby bus stop. When he fell, money spilled out of his pockets. The money (bank notes in the South African currency, the Rand) was soon grabbed by passers-by.
Muchina said the police tried to take the man to Maputo Central Hospital, but he died during the journey.
The police seized the man’s pistol. Muchina said it had contained three bullets. One was fired into the air, and the other two at the police.
Muchina insisted that it had not been the intention of the police to kill the alleged kidnapper, since he might have been able to lead them to other members of the kidnap gang.
He said that investigations will continue, and CCTV images of the man might help identify him. If he was indeed a South African, he might have visited Mozambique frequently, and his photo would have been caught at the border.
The owner of the petrol station and convenience store refused to speak to the media, and ordered his workers to keep their mouths shut. He claimed this was a recommendation from the police.
The wounded policeman is being treated for his injuries.
This incident occurred just two days after a gang kidnapped Muhammed Mayet, a Mozambican businessmen of Asian origin. Mayet was abducted at the corner between Karl Marx and Ho Chi Minh Avenues, very near both the Interior Ministry and the Maputo City Police Command.
It is not yet known whether the kidnappers have contacted Mayet’s family to demand a ransom.
The wave of kidnappings has alarmed Mozambican businesses. On Friday, both the Confederation of Mozambican Business Associations (CTA) and the Chamber of Commerce (CCM) urged the authorities to act vigorously against the kidnap gangs, who are undermining the Mozambican business environment.
The CCM issued a statement warning that the kidnappings, and the sense of impunity surrounding them, are driving foreign investors away from Mozambique, which would increase unemployment.
(AIM)
Pf/ (457)
