South African cop cracks human trafficking syndicate

A PORT Elizabeth police officer's persistence in searching for a missing 15-year-old girl has cracked open a national human- trafficking syndicate with deep roots in Central, Port Elizabeth.

The breakthrough came after police constable Marcelle van der Watt's search for missing Port Elizabeth girl Janice "Vissie" Kakora led him to Bloemfontein.

Janice disappeared from St George's Strand near Motherwell in December last year.

Although she involving over 160 police officers.

The syndicate is believed to be behind the abduction and trafficking of young girls throughout South Africa, which involves abducting them, raping them repeatedly for extended periods of time and getting them addicted to drugs, to make them compliant and to work as prostitutes.

Police spokesman Captain André Beetge said when Van der Watt took on the Kakora case he received information which led him to Bloemfontein. At this stage people were starting to give up on finding the girl, but Van der Watt did not loose hope and started planning operations in the Free State.

On August 12, police raided the Maitland Hotel in Bloemfontein and found three abducted girls in a desperate state.

Two of the girls, who are 18 and 19 years old, were abducted in Port Elizabeth, while the third, aged 14, is from Barkly West.

The operations also led to the arrest of 10 people and the confiscation of drugs worth R4000 and stolen property worth R8000. Police further obtained the names of five Port Elizabeth-based Nigerians allegedly involved in the syndicate.

Two of the men who were arrested were running an illegal abortion clinic. Six illegal immigrants and two women involved in drug charges in Pretoria were also among those arrested.

The 14-year-old girl who was found went missing from Barkly West three years ago. Beetge said she was walking to a shop when a group of Nigerians overpowered her.

From what police have gathered from the three girls, in some cases the victims were taken by force.

"They drag the girls to their car, shove cocaine up their noses and drown out the screams by covering their mouths," Beetge said.

After this they are raped continuously for up to two weeks. "By doing this they break the girls and condition them for prostitution."

In Port Elizabeth, this allegedly happens in various properties in the central business district in the city. They are then taken to Bloemfontein and from there they are "distributed" across the country or wherever there is a shortage of "fresh faces".

"We do not know yet if this is an international syndicate".

Beetge pleaded with girls in this situation to come forward. "There is hope. We are waiting for your call. We will do whatever it takes to help you."

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• Missing
• Children
• South
• Africa

[yozzaman]

nigerians.......say no more....Central was once alovely place. kill the kaffir! sorry for the batent racissim here.

[ITWEBvideo]

When I was at the news paper I tried to find Janice... Never did.