A Mozambican citizen was arrested yesterday, Wednesday (12), in Sandton, in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, reports IOL.

Identified as Nelson Simão Massango, he is believed to be part of the group of around 1,300 inmates who escaped from the Machava "B.O" Maximum Security Penitentiary on December 25, 2024.

Massango was convicted of murder in 2015 and was serving a sentence of at least 20 years, according to South African Police Service spokesman Brigadier Athlenda Mathe.

Mathe said that the arrest took place at a car dealership, and that investigations could lead to new charges of his involvement in vehicle theft in Gauteng being brought to Mozambique. He said that one of the ways in which 4×4 vehicles were stolen was by renting them out.

On the other hand, he said that the police authorities are on the lookout for other fugitives who may have crossed the border into South African territory.

He assured that INTERPOL in South Africa is collaborating with the police investigation authorities in Maputo to neutralize more fugitives.

It should be remembered that in January, two other Mozambicans, 25 and 33 years old, alleged fugitives from the B.O., were questioned by a security company in Malelane.