"A Portuguese man was kidnapped in Maputo, owner of a large construction company," said a source from the Portuguese MNE, guaranteeing that the consulate in Maputo is monitoring the situation.
The crime occurred in the Sommerchield neighborhood, Avenida Armando Tivane, according to a police source, who confirmed the kidnapping to Lusa, sending other details for later.
From the video surveillance images at the scene, to which Lusa had access, it is possible to see the businessman arriving at a project in the Polana neighborhood, center of the capital, driving the car alone, at around 12pm local time (10am in Lisbon).
Upon leaving the vehicle, a group of two men approached on foot and, with the support of two others who were traveling in a vehicle that stopped at the scene, carried the victim inside, with firearms and at least one gunshot visible.
This is the second case of kidnapping known in Maputo in the month of October, but in the previous one, which occurred on October 11, also in the center of the capital, the victim was released hours later, in Matola, after police pursuit.
Previously, the last case in Maputo happened in early August, before the start of the electoral campaign for the October 9 general elections.
Around 150 businesspeople have been kidnapped in Mozambique in the last 12 years and a hundred have left the country out of fear, according to figures released in July by the Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA), which argues that it is time for the government to say "enough is enough".
"They are already on their way to 150. More than a hundred have left the country. We are not talking about those who held administrative or management positions, if we count those there are many more. We are talking about those who held the capital, they were the shareholders of the companies" , said, at a press conference in Maputo, the president of the CTA's security and private protection department, Pedro Baltazar.
"After around 12 years since the first kidnapping occurred, we believe that it is enough time for the Government to put pressure on it in a more pragmatic way to put an end to this evil. Therefore, we reiterate the need for the Government to accept the measures proposed by the private sector", said the CTA leader, recognizing the impact of "billions of dollars" on the country's economy and employment.
Until March, the Mozambican police recorded a total of 185 cases of kidnapping and at least 288 people were detained on suspicion of involvement in this type of crime since 2011, the Minister of the Interior, Pascoal Ronda, previously announced.
