Gauteng police said that 32 of the 50 Ethiopian nationals who escaped after they were allegedly held hostage in a Lombardy East house in Johannesburg, are in police custody.
Provincial police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo, confirmed the ages of those in custody range from 13 and 24 years.
They are facing charges of illegal immigration, pending further investigations.
Earlier, IOL reported that at least 50 foreign nationals allegedly escaped on Wednesday after they were allegedly held hostage.
Masondo told the media that the police received a call about 9am from community patrollers reporting that they had seen strange people running in the streets and some were naked.
“We then dispatched our crime prevention police officers to go and find out what was happening. When we got to that vicinity, we found out that some of them entered inside a shop. Inside the shop, we found eight people, half of whom were half-naked and were all males,” he said.
An attempt by police to question the victims failed due to the language barrier.
Police were further told that there were more people inside the house. Upon further investigation, police found another group of 32 people. Preliminary investigations revealed that all the men were Ethiopian nationals.
Masondo said the door had been broken down at the house where the victims were held, which allowed them to force their way out.
“After that, they were scattered across the streets,” he added.
Masondo said police are investigating how and why they were brought to the country.
“We are still investigating because we are not certain who brought them into the country, why they were brought here, or what the intention was. We are also trying to get an interpreter to assist us with the investigations,” he said.
Masondo added that the police are looking for the owner of the house who they believe may assist with the investigations.
“We are told that the house is being rented. The person who is staying there is a tenant, who is also a foreign national,” Masondo said.
In January, police rescued 15 Ethiopian nationals who were being held against their will in a house in Lombardy East, eastern Johannesburg.
The house was suspected of being involved in human trafficking of Ethiopian nationals.
Eleven victims were hospitalized, while dozens - many of whom were naked - escaped the scene.
Cape Times