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#BreakingNews: Third suspect added to R10m ransom case after Bfn arrests

───   16:39 Mon, 18 Oct 2021

#BreakingNews: Third suspect added to R10m ransom case after Bfn arrests | News Article
PHOTO: Twitter

A third suspect has been added to the R10 million ransom case after two men had been arrested in Bloemfontein last week for the alleged kidnapping of a Durban businessman.

Nabeel Dawood is the third suspect added to the kidnapping case of a 60-year-old Durban businessman on Monday and has been granted bail of R50 000 by the Durban Magistrate’s Court.

The KwaZulu-Natal National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Natasha Kara tells OFM News two suspects, Panayiotis Kleovoulou and Nicolaos Koupis, both aged 48, were arrested by the police on Wednesday 13 October, in Bloemfontein. They appeared in court in KwaZulu-Natal on 14 October 2021. She says Kleovoulou and Koupis are both out on bail of R100 000. Kara says the case against the trio was postponed to 7 December 2021.

“Panayiotis Kleovoulou and Nicolaos Koupis paid bail of R100 000 each and the third accused, who was added today, Nabeel Dawood, paid R50 000 bail,” she adds.  

KZN police spokesperson, Thembake Mbele, previously reported that “it is alleged that on 8 July 2021 at 17:38, a 60-year-old male victim was leaving his business premises on Umgeni Road in Durban when he was accosted by four armed, unknown males and forced into their vehicle. He was held hostage for seven days when the family received a ransom demand of R10 million for his release”.

She says on 10 October 2021, the police received information, allegedly tracing the money to a family trust in Bloemfontein. “An operational plan was put in place and they proceeded to Bainsvlei in Bloemfontein where they arrested two suspects. Police seized electronic items, two rifles, and a 9mm firearm that were allegedly used in the commission of the crime, for further investigation,” Mbele added.

It’s not yet known if more arrests are imminent. This is a developing story.


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