The National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) intercepted an attempted kidnapping in downtown Maputo early last Thursday afternoon (09). The raid resulted in the arrest of two citizens, a father and son, and two vehicles.

"On the ninth of this month, at around 12 noon, SERNIC, at Maputo city level, managed to cut off a case of kidnapping that was about to take place in the downtown area of Maputo. This act was about to be carried out by six individuals," revealed the corporation's spokesman, Hilário Lole, quoted by the Mozambican press. STV.

Four of the individuals were Mozambican and two South African. The arrests took place at the site of the interception.

One of the detainees, a 59-year-old father and 28-year-old son, was on probation after being sentenced to 17 years in prison in 2012 for committing the same type of crime in 2010.

The spokesman said that the six individuals were in three vehicles, two of which were seized by SERNIC.

"SERNIC had information that kidnapping was underway in the city and province of Maputo. It was on the basis of this information that SERNIC managed to reach this location where six individuals were already being transported in three light vehicles," he said.

From this work, SERNIC says, it was also possible to obtain information and images of several kidnap victims who were scheduled to be kidnapped after the now thwarted kidnapping.

"A lot of this information, for execution here on national territory, came from the South African Republic, from individuals that SERNIC already has their names and arrest warrants for on national territory. And, within the national territory, there are individuals who have big names in the cases that are underway that refer to kidnapping crimes in the city of Maputo," he said.

SERNIC believes that there will be a calm atmosphere in Maputo, thanks to the work underway locally and with its South African counterpart.