Seven weeks after she was kidnapped outside EP Baumann Primary School in Mayfair, Johannesburg, the 11-year-old girl was found alive in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
Mayfair kidnapping: How was the victim rescued?
Details of the rescue mission have not yet been released by police. However, according to reports first shared by crime microblogger Yusuf Abramjee, the pre-teen was tracked down to a location on the south side of Johannesburg and, 49 days after she was snatched by armed gunmen, the 11-year-old was found alive.
While police have yet to provide concrete information on the rescue mission and all the work that went into the operation, we understand that the victim had been kept at a house in Soweto,
At this time, no further details have been furnished. We do not know what condition the 11-year-old was in when she was discovered. It remains unclear, at this juncture, if the victim was violated, in any way.
Whether a ransom fee was the one thing that saved the girl’s life is unknown. However, it seems, thus far, a recently assembled multi-disciplinary task force has been credited for the rescue mission.
A Police Crime driven Intellegence operation resulted in the girl being found. The recently restructured task team is showing positive results. https://t.co/pQVib3XqID
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) January 5, 2022
Here’s what we know about the kidnappers
Wednesday’s developments bring to an end, weeks of uncertainty around the Mayfair kidnapping. To this end, authorities still have not released an update on their pursuit of the suspects involved in the brazen abduction, which took place on the morning of 17 November 2021.
Three men carrying AK47 assault rifles were witnessed disembarking from a white Toyota Yaris with fake GP registration plates, outside EP Baumann Primary School, where the pre-teen was in the COVID-19 screening queue with her schoolmates.
It’s said that the men called out for the girl’s name and when she responded, they shoved her into the getaway vehicle and peeled off.
No updates came after the shocking kidnapping but, it’s believed, the suspects maintained contact with the Grade 5 pupil’s mother. Miraculously, much like The Nirvana Four, the 11-year-old’s life was spared.
This is a developing story.