SAPS Officers Hear Desperate Screams From Parked Car — What They Found Inside Left Witnesses Shaken

A routine SAPS patrol in Gqeberha’s New Brighton township reportedly took a terrifying turn on Tuesday evening when officers heard what sounded like muffled screams coming from a parked car.

The officers were allegedly about to drive past the vehicle when one of them stopped and signalled his colleague to listen carefully. Moments later, they reportedly realised that someone was trapped inside the boot and desperately calling for help.

When officers opened the vehicle, they allegedly discovered a 34-year-old man bound at the wrists with electrical cable and gagged with a torn piece of clothing.

The victim was reportedly still alive and struggling to breathe after allegedly spending several hours locked inside the vehicle.

Two men, aged 29 and 38, were arrested at the scene and charged in connection with the alleged kidnapping.

Eastern Cape police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu confirmed that the suspects appeared before the Gqeberha Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

The court reportedly denied bail at that stage, with a formal bail application scheduled for Friday.

Naidu praised the officers for their alertness, saying their decision to investigate the suspicious sounds may have saved the man’s life.

The case has reportedly been transferred to the Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit as detectives work to establish exactly what happened, who was behind the alleged abduction and what may have motivated it.

The victim was treated by paramedics at the scene. According to reports, medical personnel observed significant marks around his wrists that were consistent with prolonged restraint.

Witnesses reportedly watched as the traumatised man remained close to one of the responding officers during the medical examination.

The incident has left residents in the area shaken, particularly because the vehicle had allegedly been parked there for hours without immediately attracting suspicion.

Authorities have not yet publicly disclosed the suspected motive, while prosecutors have also not confirmed whether further charges, potentially including attempted murder, could follow.

For now, investigators are piecing together the events surrounding the alleged abduction as the two accused remain before the courts.

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