Swift EMPD operation frees kidnapped victim, three arrested in Ekurhuleni

Police rescued a kidnapped victim and arrested three suspects in Ekurhuleni following a coordinated operation on Wednesday, 08 July 2026. The operation also recovered a hijacked vehicle, stolen property, bank cards, and an unlicensed firearm, provincial police said.

Rapid response between Greenstone and London Road

Chief Superintendent Kelebogile Thepa, spokesperson for the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD), said the rescue followed an operation by the EMPD Community Liaison Unit (CLU) in collaboration with the South African Police Service (Saps).

“At approximately 11am, officers responded to a reported kidnapping between Greenstone and London Road. Acting on coordinates received from a tracking company, members recovered the victim’s vehicle in Alexandra Township, while the search for the victim continued.”

Banking links and fraudulent transactions

Thepa said investigators worked with a banking-sector kidnapping response team to trace how the suspects were using the victim’s accounts.

“Working closely with a banking-sector kidnapping response team, investigators established that the suspects were using the victim’s bank accounts to make fraudulent purchases at a clothing store in Alexandra, at the shopping Mall,”

he said.

Officers found two suspects at the scene conducting transactions totalling approximately R45 000 using the victim’s phone. The victim’s hijacked vehicle keys were also found in the suspects’ possession.

Search, arrests and recovered items

After a brief interrogation, officers located a residence on Thoko Nomgoma Street in East Bank and arrested a third suspect. Thepa said a search of the premises recovered boxes of footwear, clothing and other items believed to have been purchased with the victim’s stolen funds.

During the search, officers also recovered an unlicensed black Norinco firearm with a defaced serial number and ammunition.

Victim found unharmed; suspects detained

Approximately 20 minutes after the searches began, the kidnapped victim was found unharmed at a garage in the Lombardy area.

The three suspects, described as being in their early twenties, were detained at Alexandra Police Station.

“The three suspects, in their early twenties, were detained at Alexandra Police Station and will face charges of kidnapping, hijacking, extortion, possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition,”

Thepa said. They are expected to appear before the relevant Magistrate’s Court.

What was recovered

• Hijacked vehicle
• Victim’s vehicle keys
• Bank cards used to withdraw funds from the victim’s accounts
• Boxes of expensive footwear, clothing and other purchased items
• Unlicensed black Norinco firearm with defaced serial number and ammunition

The EMPD credited coordination with a tracking company, a banking-sector kidnapping response team and South African Police Service members for the successful rescue and arrests.