Gauteng police have rescued 22 young Ethiopian men from a suspected kidnapping operation at a plot in Erasmia, near Centurion.
Three of the victims were injured and are receiving medical attention in the hospital.
— Capt Tintswalo Sibeko
Police spokesperson Capt Tintswalo Sibeko told Sowetan the men, aged between 16 and 26, were discovered on Tuesday morning during a police response to a trespassing report.
“Police have opened a case of kidnapping and extortion,” said Sibeko.
“Three of the victims were injured and are receiving medical attention in the hospital.”
According to a Missing Persons, a nonprofit organisation, some of the men had reportedly been held at the location for up to eight months. The NPO alleges that several families had filed missing people reports with authorities months ago.
The organisation further claims that 13 of the men attempted to escape the property, prompting a trespassing complaint that led to the police's intervention and the rescue of the rest of the group.
The incident comes just weeks after 44 young Ethiopian men were found locked inside a house in Sandton, Johannesburg. Police investigations into both cases are ongoing and no arrests have been made.
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