One dead, five arrested as police rescue businessman

Police have rescued an Ethiopian businessman from the clutches of a kidnapping ring during an operation that resulted in a shoot-out which left a kidnapper dead.

- Faizel Patel

The man was rescued during an intelligence operation on Monday.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the Ethiopian businessman was kidnapped outside a restaurant in Norwood on Sunday.

Mathe said a team led by the Anti-Kidnapping Task Team, working with private security, traced the victim to a house in Kensington, Johannesburg, where there was a gun battle.

"A shoot-out ensued and one kidnapper was shot dead and five other kidnappers were arrested," Mathe said.