Johannesburg | Friday
THREE people have been arrested in Hillbrow, central Johannesburg, over the kidnapping of a British man who was lured to South Africa by promise of a commission in exchange for use of his bank account, police said Saturday.
Joseph Raca, 68, arrived in South Africa last Sunday to sort out a ”deal” in which gangsters claiming to be Nigerian civil servants told him they wanted to move money between various countries, police Superintendent Eugene Opperman said.
Raca was kidnapped shortly after arrival at Johannesburg International Aiport where he met his ”business partners”, who demanded 20,000 pounds for his safe return.
He was taken to eastern Johannesburg, threatened and held captive while gangsters contacted his wife in England and demanded the ransom.
His wife phone the British police, who notified their South African counterparts and after an intensive investigation the three suspects, believed to be part of a Nigerian crime syndicate were arrested on Wednesday. Raca was released near Johannesburg airport the same day.
The three suspects were about to collect money at a bank in central Johannesburg when police pounced them, Opperman said.
Police recovered cellphones, a fax machine and other items which possibly were used by the gang.
He said the three suspects are to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court, on Monday.
The ”419 letter scam”, named after a penal code in Nigeria’s justice system, is a well-known con in South Africa and used by organised gangsters to lure businessmen to the country.
The victim usually receives a letter via e-mail or fax in which a proposal is made by gangsters posing as senior Nigerian government officials. The fax usually carries a Nigerian letterhead.
In the proposal, the victim is told about an excess amount of money which was ”over-budgeted” for by the officials and needed to be transferred out of the country.
The victim is offered a commission in exchange for the usage of his bank account. The gangsters then ask for a donation to ”cover expenses.”
Under the ruse of complications arising in the deal, they lure the victim to South Africa where a kidnapping for a ransom takes place. – AFP