Indian businessman rescued in SAPS shootout with alleged Mozambican kingpin

Kidnapping

Johannesburg – An Indian businessman has been reunited with his family after being rescued by the South African Police Service (SAPS) Anti-Kidnapping Task Team during a late-night operation in Alexandra.

Police said the businessman was found in a shack shortly after midnight on Thursday, September 4, 2025, following an armed confrontation with the alleged mastermind behind the abduction.

The suspect, known by the nickname “Dollarman”, was shot and killed during a shootout with officers near the R21 in Kempton Park on Wednesday evening.

SAPS spokespersons confirmed that Dollarman was a notorious kidnapping kingpin wanted in both South Africa and Mozambique.

He was listed on Mozambique’s SERNIC wanted persons database for several kidnapping-for-ransom cases and was also linked to at least five similar cases in South Africa. Authorities further tied him to crimes including housebreaking, carjacking, and possession of unlicensed firearms.

“From July 2021 to date, more than 337 kidnappers have been arrested by the SAPS Anti-Kidnapping Task Team, with over 146 illegal firearms seized at crime scenes,” police said.

The breakthrough comes as part of the broader Operation Shanela, under which police have arrested more than 14,773 suspects in the past week alone for crimes ranging from murder to rape. At least 163 illegal firearms were also confiscated during the operation.

Police said the businessman is safe and has been reunited with his family. Investigations into the broader network linked to the kidnapping continue.

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