Cape Town - THE suspects behind the kidnapping of six-year-old Shanawaaz Asghar have apparently demanded a R500 000 ransom from the child's father, a reliable source confirmed to the Cape Times. The source would not divulge more details as the case was at a sensitive stage, only saying the kidnappers had made contact with the boy's father on Wednesday night.
Shanawaaz is a Grade R learner at Hidayatul Islam Primary School.
The incident is understood to have happened at around 8am.
He was last seen wearing a navy blue tracksuit school uniform with black school shoes.
“We are told it was two cars seen, when he was kidnapped. An eye-witness who saw the cars tried to chase them but lost them just outside Kensington,” said a family member.
Detectives on the case are following all links to arrest the perpetrators and find the 6-year-old alive.
Police spokesperson Andrè Traut said: “The circumstances surrounding the kidnapping of a six-year-old boy in 4th Avenue Kensington this morning is under police investigation. Six suspects fled with the victim, and are yet to be arrested. Due to the sensitive nature of our investigation, we will not be disclosing any further information regarding the incident at this premature stage,” he said.
Community Safety and Police Oversight MEC Reagen Allen said the 4th quarter crime stats showed that kidnappings has increased by 8.3%, or 16 more cases when compared to the same period of the previous year.
Mitchell’s Plain and Gugulethu have increases of 122 and 100% respectively.
“The parents and loved ones should know they are in our thoughts and prayers as they endure this very difficult period. I’d like to encourage anyone with information to urgently contact SAPS, so that this young child can be found unharmed and returned to his family,” said Allen.
Kensington community activist Kevin Alexander said the incident has hit too close to home.
“This is indicative that the crime around us has reached a level where it is now targeting innocent little children.
“I can only imagine the fear and the trauma this little boy must be suffering, and the trauma the family must be enduring at the moment. I want to ask every community to be vigilant everyday when we see children on the streets. We must inquire and make ourselves aware of people lurking around in our communities,” he said.
Chairperson of the Kensington Community Policing Forum (CPF), Cheslyn Steenberg, called on anyone with information to come forward and help the police.
“Moreover, this incident has forced us as a community to do an introspection, as to how community conscious we are as people. It has also proven that we need to make contact with our neighbours if anything is suspicious or out of the ordinary. We cannot live in our own bubbles and in our own little corners and not worry about our fellow neighbours. We have to be conscious of what is going on around us. We call on the community to rally behind this family in the wake of this kidnapping and also in their quest in finding Shanawaaz safe and sound,” he said.
Anyone with information can anonymously contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or via the MySAPS App.
Cape Times