The search for Sonam Gajjar, a 34-year-old woman from Kariega, has entered its second day, following her abduction by four unidentified males.
Search for kidnapped Sonam Gajjar enters second day
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According to Eastern Cape police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu, the incident occurred early on Wednesday morning as Gajjar was leaving her home on Mosel Road.
Witnesses report that her car was intercepted, her window smashed, and she was forcibly removed and placed into a waiting vehicle, a white Hyundai hatch with GP licence plates, which then headed towards Motherwell.
With the investigation on its second day, Uitenhage detectives are leading search efforts and have issued an appeal for any information related to the kidnapping, urging the public to contact Detective Sergeant Ricardo January or the Crime Stop hotline.
Kidnapping in South Africa four times higher than 10 years ago
According to the Institute for Security Studies, kidnapping rates have quadrupled over the past decade, with the country experiencing an average of 45 kidnappings per day in the last three months of 2022 alone.
Despite the high-profile nature of ransom-related abductions, the vast majority of these crimes do not involve demands for money, human trafficking, or extortion.
Kidnappings in South Africa encompass a wide range of motives, often linked to the dramatic increase in violent and organised crime within the country.
This surge is partially attributed to both local and transnational criminal groups, with some specialising in high-value targets.
“Provincial kidnapping task teams formed to investigate mainly high-profile kidnapping for ransom or extortion cases have had several successes. But a different approach will be needed to reduce kidnapping. If the SAPS could replicate the successful Gauteng Aggravated Robbery Strategy it implemented between 2009 and 2011 – which cut hijackings by 32% in that period – kidnappings would also decrease,” ISS Pretoria Crime Hub Manager Lizette Lancaster said.