Doctor and businessman abducted in Mozambique

By Jose Tembe

A doctor and a businessman have been kidnapped in Mozambique's capital, Maputo, leaving many residents shaken.

The kidnappers carried firearms, and fired shots into the air to threaten the victims.

The businessman was kidnapped inside the Eduardo Mondlane University campus. His vehicle lay abandoned, with splinters of glass and a broken windshield on the ground.

Police arrived on the scene, but witnesses refused to give statements, as an atmosphere of fear reigned.

The doctor was kidnapped on Friedrich Engels Avenue, which is in an area where many government officials and diplomats live.

Kidnappings for ransom is a major problem in Maputo. Police are under pressure to bring it to an end.

The latest abductions took place almost a week after the National Criminal Investigation Service got a new director-general.

Police said they were on the trail of the kidnappers.

“The common thing in these two kidnappings is that firearms were used. These weapons were fired to threaten and drag the victims to the criminals' vehicle," police spokesman Lionel Muchina said.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: Getty Images