A team of Hawks investigators is still working around the clock to negotiate the safe return of Gqeberha businessman Neil Ah-Tow, who was kidnapped last Friday.
Ah-Tow was last seen alive five days ago, when he was kidnapped outside his business premises, Neal's fish and Chips, in Sidwell.
A ransom demand of 1.4 million US dollars was made at around 5 pm on Monday, prompting police to investigate the possibility that the kidnappers could be foreign nationals.
On Wednesday, Hawks spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela confirmed that after the ransom demand was made, there was nothing new to report.
When Ah-Tow's kidnappers reached out, he requested his blood pressure medication.
Also read: Massive ransom demand made in exchange for return of kidnapped Bay businessman
Initial reports suggest that five men driving a silver Chev Cruz abducted Ah-Tow shortly before he opened his shop.
The shop was open to the public for a short while on Tuesday.
A few workers who did not want to be named said they were all "very worried" about Ah-Tow.
They echoed the sentiment that he is a good man, who treats them like family.
The gates to the family's Newton Park home were locked. It is understood that the family had checked into a hotel.
Ah-Tow is the third businessman to be kidnapped in Gqeberha since the beginning of the year.
Godknows Chavazhinji, 34, who works as a subcontractor, was kidnapped in Wells Estate, and later dropped off in Durban Road in Korsten after a ransom demand of R100,000 had been made for his safe return.
He was however released due to pressure by a Hawks investigation team, without a ransom being paid.
54-year-old hardware store owner, Zahir Bayit was kidnapped by a group of men in front of his hardware store in Motherwell on the same day as Chavazhinji.
He returned home after his family paid R1 million for his release.
