Zahraa Mohammed (17)

Bataviya Mohammed (19)

The two Brits teenagers who were kidnapped 20 days ago were found safe by police on Monday evening and reunited with their families.
Zahraa Mohammed (17) and Bataviya Mohammed (19) who were kidnapped in Brits on Wednesday, 6 March, were found in Klipgat near Mabopane and police arrested six suspects. A multi-disciplinary team comprising provincial organised crime, national Anti-Kidnapping Unit, and Brits and Hartbeespoort police has been working tirelessly for the past three weeks to locate the teenagers. The team pounced on a house in Klipgat on Monday evening and found the traumatised teenagers and six suspects.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said the teenagers were examined by paramedics at Klipgat police station’s Victims Friendly Room (VFR) and found to be in a good state of health except for exhaustion and trauma. “They were safely reunited with their families without any visible injuries.”
Zahraa and Bataviya were kidnapped around 07:00 in front of a primary school in Primindia in Brits. They were on their way to school in Hartbeespoort in a white Mercedes. The kidnappers in an Audi A3, reportedly stolen in Pretoria, crashed into the teenagers’ car. They forced them at gunpoint into a Volkswagen Polo and sped away.
“The driver of the Audi got into a Toyota Hilux allegedly driven by Humphrey Martin. Martin (48) was arrested on Friday, 8 March, and has been in custody. He appeared in the Brits Magistrates’ Court on 11, 18, and 25 March 2024. He remains in custody and is expected to appear again on Monday, 8 April 2024, for a formal bail application,” Mokgwabone said.
The six suspects arrested on Monday night will appear in the Brits Magistrates’ Court soon, facing two counts of kidnapping and extortion.
The Provincial Commissioner of Police in North West, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena commended the police team that worked tirelessly to find the kidnapped teenagers and arrest the suspects.