Four men have been arrested for allegedly abducting a woman, with the intention of forcing her to marry one of them, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Thursday.
The four suspects, who travelled in a silver Renault with the woman, were arrested by Public Order Policing (POP) members, who had been conducting crime prevention operations at Emmaus turnoff on the R74 in Bergville, KZN midlands on Wednesday.
“The woman (18) was sitting in the back seat between two of the men. Police noticed that the woman was upset. All occupants were asked to step out of the vehicle and the woman was taken aside and interviewed,” Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said.
The men, aged 28 to 42, have been charged with kidnapping and are expected to appear in the Bergville Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
“I thank the members for their alertness that led to the arrest of the suspects. We cannot tolerate people who are allegedly kidnapping women with the intention of forcing them to marry these criminals.
“There is no place for ukuthwala (a form of abduction that involves kidnapping a girl or a young woman by a man with the intention of compelling the girl or young woman’s family to agree on marriage) in our society anymore,” he said.