Mystery surrounds the brazen daylight kidnapping of a young biokineticist from outside her workplace in Newton Park, in Gqeberha, on Thursday morning.
Though her colleagues, friends and family remain tight-lipped about the incident, a vehicle suspected to have been used to carry out the kidnapping has since been recovered, at least one person arrested and a firearm confiscated.
However, late on Thursday night, the dark-haired Riana Pretorius, 26, was still missing.
According to three sources close to the investigation, a ransom demand was made to the family, though it was not clear if any money had been paid over.
Rumours of a second arrest could not be verified and police and private security operatives remained on high alert.
Pretorius was shoved into a white Toyota Corolla by at least three armed men as she arrived for work at the Newton Medical Centre in the bustling business area of Pickering Street shortly before 8am.
She specialises in individual rehabilitation sessions, hydrotherapy and wellness assessments, along with home visits.
The vehicle was recovered in Old Grahamstown Road, between Deal Party and Swartkops, less than an hour later, but Pretorius, a Hoërskool Framesby and Nelson Mandela University alumnus, was nowhere to be found.
When a Herald team arrived at the scene, senior officials from the police forensics department were combing the vehicle for any DNA evidence and dusting it for fingerprints.
A suspect was found inside the vehicle, along with a firearm. He has been taken in for questioning.
Several other police vehicles and officers stood guard, with the scene blocked off.
Police then extended their search to Motherwell and New Brighton.
Contacted for comment, Riana’s mother, Rina, said she was not in a position to speak to the media.
Meanwhile, a friend and colleague who was with the family for much of Thursday morning, said they were keeping all phone lines open in case they heard back from the police.
The Hawks have since taken over the investigation.
The visibly shaken staff at the Newton Medical Centre also said they had been instructed by the police not to comment until investigations, which were still at a sensitive stage, were complete.
At the back of the medical premises, traumatised staff had witnessed the kidnapping take place from a first-floor window.
Screen grabs from CCTV footage recorded at the premises showed the vehicle, with three armed occupants, driving into the parking area.
Pretorius was then forced into the Corolla at gunpoint before the vehicle sped off.
It is believed she was then forced into another vehicle, which police are still hunting for.
News of her abduction spread quickly on social media, with friends and family members posting messages of support and prayers for her safe return.
For many it evoked memories of the disappearance of 29-year-old Kariega high schoolteacher Jayde Panayiotou, who was kidnapped and killed in April 2015.
Police and other law enforcement agencies urged the public to stop spreading information that had not been verified, and to instead report all leads directly to the authorities investigating the crime.
There was also concern that suspects could be monitoring platforms such us WhatsApp and Facebook to avoid detection.
Provincial Hawks spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela confirmed that the unit had taken over the probe and that one person had been arrested.
She said the investigation was continuing.
“The car [allegedly] used during the commission of the crime was recovered, with one suspect and a firearm inside.
“The investigation is still ongoing and more information will be shared as it becomes available,” Mgolodela said.
Businessman and director of Afrikaans radio station Luister FM, Carel du Preez, who introduced himself as Pretorius’s boyfriend on a group WhatsApp chat, was among the first to share information on the young woman’s abduction.
In a voice note to the community group, he said Pretorius was his girlfriend and that her cellphone was switched off.
However, he failed to respond to further requests for comment.
According to Pretorius’s personal Facebook page, she is also a director at Geotech Solutions Africa, along with her father, Pieter.
Pieter is responsible for the prominent Chelsea Downs-based business’s internal civil design work and project management.
The family is originally from Middelburg.
HeraldLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.