Last year, the Mozambican authorities recorded 17 cases of kidnapping of businesspeople in Maputo city. According to the Secretary of State in Maputo City, Vicente Joaquim, who was speaking this Monday (03) during a working visit to the police command in the country's capital, of these kidnappings, 13 were concluded and four were thwarted.

Cited by AIMHe added that of the 17 cases recorded in the last year, two have been solved and two kidnappers have been arrested.

"In 2024, we recorded 17 cases of kidnapping, compared to 10 in 2023. Most of the cases occurred in the municipality of Ka Mpfumu, with a total of 11 cases. The measures taken, in general terms, were to communicate with the operational force on the ground, collect evidence at the scene and follow up on the steps taken to clarify the cases," said Vicente Joaquim.

Since the first case of kidnapping was recorded 12 years ago in Mozambique, 100 businesspeople, most of them of Asian origin, have left the country. According to the Strategic Analysis Report (RAE) published by Mozambique's Financial Information Office (GIFiM), the wave of kidnappings has generated more than 33 million dollars in money laundering since 2014.

The Confederation of Business Associations of Mozambique (CTA) points out that most cases of kidnapping have not been solved, although the authorities claim to have identified some of the masterminds.

The Secretary of State in Maputo City also said that last year, relevant security actions were carried out to combat 8070 various crimes, compared to 8825 in 2023, which corresponds to a reduction of 755 cases (8.55%).

"Of these cases, 7,487 were solved, which is equivalent to 92.7% of police activity. With regard to domestic violence, 1,958 cases were registered, compared to 1,937 in 2023, which represents an increase of 21 cases, equivalent to one percent," he said.

(Photo DR)