Moti brothers: Reports of arrests misleading, says SAPS

Six-year-old Zidan, Zayyad, 11, Alaan, 13, and Zia Moti, 15, were kidnapped while they were en route to their private school Curro Heuwelkruin, on October 20. File picture

Six-year-old Zidan, Zayyad, 11, Alaan, 13, and Zia Moti, 15, were kidnapped while they were en route to their private school Curro Heuwelkruin, on October 20. File picture

Published Oct 29, 2021

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Cape Town – The SA Police Service on Friday, rubbished claims that it made any arrests in relation to the kidnapping case involving the four Moti brothers.

National police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo said the SAPS distances itself from media reports claiming that two arrests have been made.

“An article, carried by a media house in the East Rand, in Gauteng, which suggests there have been arrests in an alleged kidnapping case, is misleading,” Naidoo said.

“The SAPS therefore distances itself from the said article. The SAPS is again requesting that matters, which are likely to place the lives of people at risk, be handled with utmost sensitivity.”

Earlier on Friday, a media company alleged two people, a man and woman, had been arrested by Benoni police.

It claimed cell phone technology led police to the house where the man and woman allegedly lived together. The pair were linked to the kidnapping and the station commander confirmed this at the scene, the newspaper alleged.

On October 20, six-year-old Zidan, Zayyad, 11, Alaan, 13, and Zia Moti, 15, were snatched while they were en route to their private school Curro Heuwelkruin.

The children and their driver, along with the BMW they were travelling in, were ambushed by seven men, armed with R5 rifles and dressed in white overalls.

The vehicle and the driver were later recovered.

Their father, Polokwane business mogul Nazim Moti is the chief executive of Moti Auto, a Polokwane-based car dealership, that has been operating for the past 25 years.

It is unclear what the motive of the kidnapping is and no ransom has been demanded as yet.

robin.francke@inl.co.za

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