Anichka Penev is presumably still alive, four days after she was snatched outside her husband’s plastics factory in Blackheath, Cape Town.
Anichka Penev ransom: Here’s what we know
Cape Town police are weaving through leads and evidence in a bid to ensure the safe return of the 35-year-old Ukrainian national. In a statement quoted by Newa24, a close relative of Penev confirmed that since the abduction, the perpetrators behind the brazen kidnapping that was caught on CCTV had made contact with the family.
Speculation has been rife on the amount allegedly demanded by the kidnappers. In a Weekend Argus report, a ‘well-placed’ source within the investigation claimed the ransom demand was R5 million.
However, the relative who spoke anonymously to News24 has rubbished this claim.
“All the incorrect allegations made with regards to a ransom being asked, the price Penev paid for her car, and how much it cost the family to start up the business are just jeopardising the entire case,” the source said.
While no indications were made on whether the family knows if Penev is still alive, it was noted that all avenues are being explored to ensure the 35-year-old’s safe return.
No new updates have come from Cape Town police either. According to Captain Frederick Van Wyk, the Anichka Penev kidnapping is still under investigation, with no “new developments to report at this stage.”
Time ticks on with no word from Penev. If the case of Lukhololwam Mkontwana is anything to go by, then the family will understand that every second counts.
The eight-year-old boy from Nyanga was kidnapped on Friday, 23 September 2022, and his mom, a front-of-house restaurant employee, received the worst news imaginable when the abductors called her to demand an R100 000 ransom.
The mother, a low-income worker, managed to scrape together 1% of the ransom fee. Consequently, the eight-year-old boy’s lifeless body was discovered in Siqalo, an informal settlement situated less than 8km away from Nyanga, three days later.
A case of murder has since been opened by Cape Town police, with no further developments in the manhunt for the suspects.