A man from Gqeberha alleged to be involved in the kidnapping of a Chinese national made a brief appearance in the magistrates court on Monday.
38-year-old Mzonoxolo Grwayibana allegedly kidnapped Running Rodney Chen, 31, at his business premises in Doyle Street on 5 April this year.
Chen is the owner of R&R Windscreens in North End.
According to the charge sheet, the accused allegedly forced Chen into a vehicle and held him captive at among others, his home address until a ransom was paid on 10 April.
The state alleges that Grwayibana acted in common purpose with other suspects and will be relying on the doctrine of common purpose.
The court heard that the accused had no pending cases, previous convictions, or outstanding warrants of arrest.
State prosecutor Rose Veywers asked that the case be remanded to the bail court on Tuesday.
She said the investigating officer would also need to verify an alternative address.
Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana said the accused was arrested by the Gqeberha Trafficking In Persons (TIP) of the Serious Organised Crime Investigation team of the Hawks, who worked tirelessly with the Provincial Crime Intelligence (CI) and Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) members on 16 May 2024.
Mhlakuvana said on the day of the kidnapping Chen was seemingly alone at his business premises when he was accosted by unidentified suspects, held at gunpoint, and forced into a Opel Mokka.
The suspects allegedly used his cell phone to phone his mother, to make a ransom demand.
Algoa FM News previously reported that Chen's 50-year-old mother too was kidnapped less than two months before her son.
She was held captive for 24 hours before she managed to escape from her attackers in Motherwell.
Also read: Mother and son embroiled in another GQ kidnapping
According to police, Chen was released after six days, in Kariega, in the middle of the night.
During the ransom drop-off, police identified a Toyota Fortuner and an Audi as the vehicles suspected to have been used in the kidnapping.
"Preliminary investigation established that the victim was allegedly transported to three different addresses in Gqeberha by the same Audi that was previously identified.
"On 11 April 2024, the joint team traced the vehicles and found a Toyota Fortuner at a certain carwash in Gqeberha and it was seized.
"Two days later, information was received about the whereabouts of the Audi which was also found at Colchester and seized as well. Both vehicles were seized for further investigation," said Mhlakuvana.
An intelligence-driven investigation by the joint team revealed that the victim was kept in three different addresses in Gqeberha.
Investigations led to the arrest of the suspect at one of the addresses.
The police are confident that more arrests are imminent as intensive investigations are underway.
Grwayibana will appear in court again on Tuesday.
