The kidnapping of a Bangladeshi businessman in Johannesburg has heightened fears within South Africa’s Bangladeshi community after it emerged that he is the second Bangladeshi national reportedly abducted in the city within a week.
Tanvir Ahmed was reportedly kidnapped at about 9pm on Saturday, 25 July 2026, outside his shop on Crown Road in Fordsburg.
CCTV footage and videos circulating on social media appear to show a vehicle blocking Ahmed’s car before armed suspects forced him into another vehicle and fled the scene.
According to members of the local Bangladeshi community, Ahmed had arrived in South Africa only two to three months ago.
Mohammad Khan, a member of the Bangladesh Muslim Society of South Africa, told One Nation Media (ONM) that the latest incident had deepened anxiety among Bangladeshi business owners in Johannesburg.
“The kidnapping took place on Saturday at 9pm on Crown Road in Fordsburg. The man was taken from his shop. This is the second kidnapping in a week. The first person who was kidnapped managed to escape from the place where he was being held. This case has been registered at Johannesburg Central and police are investigating the matter,” Khan told ONM.
The latest incident follows the reported kidnapping of another Bangladeshi national, Mohammad Arif, on 18 July 2026.
Arif was allegedly forced into a white van by armed men in Johannesburg in what community members described as a similar attack. According to reports, he later managed to escape from the location where he was being held.
The two incidents have sent shockwaves through the Bangladeshi community and the wider South Asian business community, raising concerns that foreign-owned businesses may be being deliberately targeted by organised kidnapping syndicates.
Fordsburg, one of Johannesburg’s busiest commercial districts, is home to hundreds of immigrant-owned businesses, including traders from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Somalia and several other countries.
Community leaders and security experts have long warned that the area’s high level of commercial activity and prevalence of cash-based businesses make it an attractive target for criminal syndicates seeking ransom payments.
Footage of Ahmed’s abduction has also drawn attention to the tactics allegedly used by the suspects.
Community security alerts indicate that the vehicle used in the kidnapping had no visible registration plates, a tactic believed to be intended to evade detection by Johannesburg’s automated licence plate recognition camera network.
Kidnappings for ransom have become a growing concern across South Africa in recent years, with organised criminal groups frequently targeting business owners, professionals and individuals perceived to have access to significant financial resources.
Victims are often held while ransom demands are made to relatives or business associates.
The apparent similarities between the Ahmed and Arif cases have fuelled concerns within the community that the attacks may form part of a broader pattern of targeting foreign nationals involved in business. However, police have not confirmed whether the two incidents are linked.
The case has been registered at Johannesburg Central Police Station, and police are investigating the circumstances surrounding Ahmed’s disappearance.
No arrests had been announced at the time of publication, and Ahmed’s whereabouts remained unknown.
Community leaders have urged anyone with information that could assist investigators to contact the South African Police Service as efforts continue to locate him safely.
