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Police Rescue 10 Teen Boys in Johannesburg After Chase and Arrest Suspected Trafficker

A 47-year-old foreign national faces court on Thursday, with investigators verifying the boys’ identities through embassies.

Overview

  • JMPD officers in Mulbarton were alerted to eight half-naked teenagers who could not speak English, and an eyewitness described them as malnourished and injured.
  • Police learned two more boys had been taken in a blue VW Jetta, intercepted the car, and ended a high-speed pursuit on Commissioner Street with the driver’s arrest.
  • The suspect, aged 47 and a foreign national, is expected to appear in Booysens Magistrate’s Court on 8 January on suspected trafficking and immigration charges.
  • The operation involved JMPD, the Hawks, SAPS Mondeor and private security partners, and the case has been registered with Mondeor police with inquiries continuing.
  • Authorities say the boys are believed to be from an African country, and recent BMA actions at OR Tambo and Beitbridge provide broader context on trafficking routes.