‘Hands up’ – Cops save kidnap victim from fake police gang armed with AK-47

Kidnapping

Pretoria – Gauteng police rescued a kidnapped man and recovered an AK-47 rifle with scores of live ammunition after intercepting a suspicious vehicle on the R80 highway in Rosslyn, Tshwane, on Friday, 10 October 2025.

According to police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo, officers from the Tshwane Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit were on routine patrol when they noticed a white Golf 7 with five occupants behaving suspiciously.

“Upon testing the vehicle, it came out as a different make,” said Masondo. “The vehicle was stopped, and inside there was a man who was handcuffed with his face covered.”

Further questioning revealed that the victim had been kidnapped earlier that day at Wonderboompoort after being stopped by men using blue lights and a siren.

“The suspects had stopped the victim pretending to be police officers,” Masondo explained. “When officers searched the vehicle, they found an AK-47 rifle, scores of live rounds of ammunition, dashboard blue lights, cable ties, a vehicle siren and T-shirts bearing police emblems.”

Four suspects were arrested on the scene. They are facing multiple charges, including kidnapping, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, and impersonating a police officer.

“They are expected to appear before the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 13 October 2025,” said Masondo.

Police have since launched an investigation to determine whether the suspects are connected to other serious and violent crimes in the province.

“The investigation is underway to establish if the suspects are not linked to other serious and violent crimes,” Masondo confirmed.

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Compiled by Betha Madhomu

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