Suspect Fatally Wounded In Police Shootout Linked To Kidnapping Of Pakistani Businessman In Hluhluwe

Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal – A suspect allegedly involved in the kidnapping of a Pakistani businessman in Hluhluwe was shot and fatally wounded during a confrontation with police near Empangeni on Saturday night, 9 May 2026.

According to KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshounda, the businessman was abducted on the morning of 6 May 2026. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of R200 000.

On 7 May 2026, the victim’s family paid R90 000. The businessman was subsequently released on the condition that the outstanding balance would be paid once his safety was assured.

Members of the Empangeni Tactical Response Team launched an operation to apprehend the suspects. Police arranged a controlled delivery of the remaining ransom amount. On the evening of 9 May 2026, a parcel containing the balance was dropped along the N2 highway northbound.

Three suspects arrived at the drop site in a bakkie to collect the parcel. When Tactical Response Team officers confronted them, a shootout broke out. One suspect was shot and fatally wounded at the scene. A second suspect fled on foot into nearby bushes and disappeared in the darkness. The third suspect escaped in the bakkie, which was later recovered abandoned on the N2 on-ramp at Empangeni.

Police recovered a firearm with its serial number filed off from the deceased suspect. Investigations into the full circumstances of the kidnapping and the events surrounding the ransom collection remain ongoing.

A manhunt has been launched for the two suspects who evaded arrest. Authorities have appealed to the public for any information that could assist in locating them.

The incident forms part of broader police efforts in KwaZulu-Natal to combat kidnapping-for-ransom cases. The Tactical Response Team played a key role in setting up the guided ransom drop and engaging the suspects. No additional details regarding the identity of the deceased suspect or the two fugitives have been released at this stage. The released businessman’s current condition has not been publicly detailed beyond confirmation of his safe return following payment of the initial ransom portion.

South African Police Service statements confirm that the operation was intelligence-driven and focused on tracing individuals connected to the abduction that took place in Hluhluwe earlier in the week. The N2 highway in the Empangeni area was the location of both the ransom drop and the subsequent police confrontation.