Noor Mohammed Karriem of Giant Cash & Carry, a wealthy Western Cape businessman was allegedly kidnapped in the city on Monday morning. It is believed Karriem was dragged from his car just outside his business in Epping and tossed into an unknown vehicle just before 11am.
According to IOL, the kidnapping wealthy businessman is seemingly a profitable business for criminal syndicates and the Western Cape province has seen a number of kidnappings in recent years.
In July last year, Cape Town businessman Liyaqat Parker, 65, who is a founding member of the Food Property Group‚ which owns the Foodworld chain of supermarkets was allegedly kidnapped by five unknown and armed men at his business in N1 City, Parow. He was returned to his family in September, and it was said that the 65-year-old’s release was the result of the family paying a large sum of money in the form of a ransom.
Sadeck Zhaun Ahmed, who owns Zhauns Business Opportunity Machines in Woodstock was kidnapped on July 25, 2017 by three armed men.
Bangladeshi businessman Mustapha Goolam, from Lotus River, was kidnapped from Food Town in December 2016 and a ransom was set at R11m. Goolam was found badly beaten in Khayelitsha two days later. Five people were arrested in relation to this kidnapping.
Another wealthy Cape Town businessman, Naushad Deshmukh Khan, 46, was also kidnapped in October 2016. Deshmukh was allegedly snatched outside his clothing business, Khan’s in Hadji Ebrahim Crescent, by a group of armed people who bundled him into a delivery vehicle. He was allegedly found in Thornton at the end of December and had to receive medical attention.
More: IOL