Alleged kidnapping syndicate targeting gay men facing more charges
Mlungisi Mbuthu, Bongani Zulu, and Zwelakhe Ngwenya are accused of luring unsuspecting gay men on dating app Grindr.
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CAPE TOWN - An alleged kidnapping syndicate targeting gay men is facing more charges.
The three suspects, from Soweto, in Gauteng, were arrested in Cape Town last month in connection with the kidnapping a 50-year-old man, who was held hostage at a house in Woodstock.
The State said that six more victims had since come forward and another case of kidnapping and extortion was Friday added to the charge sheet.
Mlungisi Mbuthu, Bongani Zulu, and Zwelakhe Ngwenya are accused of luring unsuspecting gay men on dating app Grindr.
It's alleged they would kidnap targets, hold them hostage and extort money from them.
The State said that the seven known victims were taken in the CBD, Durbanville, Brackenfell, Claremont and Camps Bay.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)'s Eric Ntabazalila said the Camps Bay case dated to 2023.
"The victim was invited to a hotel and then he was kidnapped, and they took money from his bank account, about R100 000."
The State believes more victims may come forward as the case continues and the matter's been postponed to 1 August.