Free State woman arrested for kidnapping pensioner
· Citizen
A woman has been arrested for her alleged involvement in a kidnapping and extortion case in the Free State.
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The Free State Provincial Organised Crime Unit, along with the Welkom- and Zamdela-based Tactical Response Teams (TRT), traced and arrested the woman, who had previously been identified as a person of interest.
On Tuesday, 29 September, police received information about the 37-year-old woman’s whereabouts and arrested her at 5am at Jabulani Hostel in Soweto.
The South African Police Service (Saps) said the arrest stems from an incident on Friday, 14 August 2026.
The incident
On the day the incident occurred, a 67-year-old pensioner was allegedly kidnapped and extorted an amount of R55 000.
It is alleged that this happened after the suspect arranged to meet the man about a possible job opportunity.
The meeting reportedly took place in a parking area on Potgieter Street in Dagbreek, Welkom.
Shortly thereafter, two men allegedly impersonating police officers took both the victim and the suspect. The woman was reportedly dropped off outside Thabong Police Station.
Police said the victim was instructed to provide his bank cards, and money was allegedly withdrawn from his bank account.
Afterwards, the suspects allegedly instructed the victim to enter the bank, where he was forced to transfer money to two separate bank accounts. The suspects then dropped him off at a petrol station.
The matter was reported to the police, and a case of kidnapping and extortion was registered and assigned to the Provincial Organised Crime Unit for further investigation.
The suspect is expected to appear before the Welkom Magistrate’s Court on charges of kidnapping and extortion.