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A 28-year-old man was arrested in Dobsonville, Soweto, on Wednesday after he allegedly staged his own kidnapping in an attempt to extort money from his family.
Police said a kidnapping case was reported on Tuesday at the Johannesburg Central Police Station alleging that the victim had been abducted by unknown suspects who demanded a ransom of R100,000 for his release.
A multidisciplinary team comprising the Provincial Tracking Team, Crime Intelligence, detectives from Johannesburg Central, the K9 Unit, Soweto Flying Squad, Fidelity Specialist Services and Vision Tactical was immediately mobilised to locate and rescue the alleged victim.
"Intensive investigations and follow-up operations led the team to a house in Dobsonville, where they found the alleged victim together with three other individuals," police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said.
She said further investigations established that the "victim" had allegedly conspired with the three other suspects to stage the kidnapping in an attempt to extort money from his family.
All four suspects, who are aged between 28 and 37 years, were arrested and are expected to appear in court on Friday on charges of kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice.
Police warned people against opening false criminal cases as this constitutes a criminal offence and wastes valuable resources that could be used to assist genuine victims of crime.