A specialized police task team in Bloemfontein, South Africa, has initiated an urgent manhunt following the alleged kidnapping of 19-year-old Kamogelo Baukudi by two men impersonating police officers.
Baukudi, a Grade 11 student at Marti du Plessis School located in Fichardt Park, was being picked up from school by Daniel Malebatso, who regularly provides her transportation. The two left the school premises together in a silver Suzuki Ertiga.
According to provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thabo Covane, as Malebatso was driving along Vereeniging Drive in Ehrlich Park, he heard sirens behind them. Soon after, a white Toyota Hilux GD-6 double cab—equipped with blue lights on the grille and appearing to have a police radio inside—signaled them to stop.
“Inside the Toyota Hilux were two unidentified men: one dressed in a police uniform and the other in a blue tracksuit,” Covane explained.
The man in uniform told Malebatso that their vehicle was suspected of being involved in drug deliveries. Following this, the suspects separated Malebatso and Baukudi. They instructed Malebatso to drive ahead while they followed him, claiming they were taking Baukudi to the Park Road police station.
While travelling westward along Vereeniging Drive, a truck moved between the two vehicles, causing Malebatso to lose sight of the Toyota Hilux. Since then, Baukudi has not been seen or heard from.
Subsequently, Malebatso found both his and Baukudi’s mobile phones discarded under a bridge on Ferrera Road. He also reported that one of the suspects spoke fluent Sesotho and mentioned the name “Thipe.”
In response, police at Parkweg police station have officially opened cases of kidnapping and impersonating a police officer. Authorities are urgently appealing to the public for any information that may assist in locating Kamogelo Baukudi and bringing the perpetrators to justice.