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Abirah Dekhta kidnapping: Suspects questioned but no one charged - police

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Abirah Dekhta.
Abirah Dekhta.
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  • Numerous suspects are being questioned in connection with the kidnapping of Abirah Dekhta, 8.
  • Since her dramatic rescue on Monday, no one has been charged.
  • Abirah was unscathed when she was reunited with her parents, 11 days after she had been snatched.

Two days after the rescue of eight-year-old Abirah Dekhta, no one has been charged with her kidnapping.

Western Cape police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk said on Wednesday that "several people" had been taken in for questioning.

"No one has been charged as yet. Investigations continue," he told News24.

Van Wyk added that the case was "sensitive" and that police would not divulge any finer aspects of their probe.

On Monday night, a police contingent pounced on a shack in Joe Nzinga Gqabi Street, Town Two in Khayelitsha, in an intelligence-led, integrated operation.

Locals watched in shock as officers carried out young Abirah, who had been missing for 11 days.

READ | 'This is cruel. I am a mother', says woman who watched police rescue Abirah Dekhta in Khayelitsha

Residents told News24 that among the people who were taken into custody at the scene was a local woman, who they believed had been cooking and caring for the little girl.

Abirah was unscathed and clean when she was reunited with her parents.

She was dressed in the same clothes she had worn on 4 November, the day armed men in a bakkie snatched her from her lift club vehicle outside Amber Court in Yusuf Gool Boulevard, Gatesville.

According to police, members from various specialised units, together with City of Cape Town law enforcement officials, used state-of-the-art technology when they executed the operation.

READ | 'She was very, very strong!': Kidnapped Abirah Dekhta happy to be back home unharmed

Mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said technology played a "significant role" in the breakthrough.

He had been lobbying for months for his department to be integrated into the police's extortion and kidnapping operations so that it can "participate in a more meaningful way".

In October, it was announced that an inter-governmental task force would be formed to collaboratively tackle the scourge.

Smith said the task force was still in the process of being established, although the door had been opened to allow his officials to already assist in "multiple ways".



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