Ghanaian student kidnapped in South Africa

A Ghanaian student was found unconscious in the boot of a car at Bloemfontein in South Africa yesterday. It is suspected he had been kept in there for three days.

He was found with marks indicating he had been brutally assaulted. The Police team which rescued him said his hands and feet were also tied with a piece of rope.

A News24 website post said the young man, Enock Owusu Sekyere, was allegedly kidnapped by four armed men while he was in the company of a friend.

The kidnappers held the victim hostage while they stole money from his bank account after compelling him to part with his account Personal Identification Number (PIN).

The four robbers, according to reports, used about 5000 South African Rand from the victim’s account to purchase several items from different shops in the city.

The robbers later stuffed the 25-year-old man who was in South Africa for an exchange programme, in the boot of a car where he was locked up for three days.

Mr Sekyere is reported to be pursuing a research for his Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics at the University of Free State and had been in South Africa for only a month.

The friend who was with the victim when the armed robbers accosted him explained to the police that the robbers let him go but pounced on the Sekyere after they found American dollars on him.

The robbers, according to the account of Mr Sekyere’s friend, then proceeded to search his room and assaulted him until he gave them his PIN.

The friend reported the incident to police and a task team, detectives and crime intelligence operation was mobilised.

Police found Sekyere’s cell phone in his room and monitored how the robbers were withdrawing money from his account and where his credit card was being used.

One of the suspects was arrested at a shop when he wanted to buy some goods.

Sekyere was found covered with a piece of blanket lying in the boot of the car with his hands and feet bound.

He was unable to use his hands and police suspected he may have suffered some damage to his hands due to the assault.

Police officers described the rescue of Sekyere as a miracle and later sent the young victim, who was in a state of shock and dehydration, to hospital for treatment.