Dishal Sooku has been hailed a hero by thousands of South Africans for foiling a kidnapping attempt at a Johannesburg restaurant.
Johannesburg, South Africa (14 September 2020) – We could feel our heartbeats in our ears, a cold sweat forming and we almost stopped breathing – that was the reaction when seeing the harrowing video of a man attempting to kidnap a young girl from a restaurant in Florida, Johannesburg.
We felt sick, terrified for the children of South Africa and disgusted that this happened. How could something so crazy happened in broad daylight; how brazen are criminals? We can imagine every person watching the video would have felt the same.
UPDATE: It has since been reported that this was not a case of attempted child trafficking and rather an assault. The court proceedings are ongoing.
But then we watched it again and we saw something we missed the first time. A man, he intervened and took the attempted kidnapper down. Again, we held our breath. So we watched it again and again! Who was this man, this hero?
Since the video went viral on Friday morning, it has emerged that the hero in the video is Dishal Sooku. Dishal’s fast-acting reflexes helped bring down the man within seconds of him attempting to kidnap the little girl.
WATCH: Kidnapping attempt of a child thwarted – thanks to a member of the public acting fast. This happened at Bella Napoli, Goldman Crossing Florida West Rand. Criminal arrested. #MakeSASafe #NoToCrime #Kidnapping pic.twitter.com/LA6lyURshP
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) September 11, 2020
Dishal is the owner of the restaurant where the attempted kidnapping took place. He has been practising jujitsu for years and used his skills to carefully but accurately bring down the kidnapper. Dishal had been sitting near the family with his father. His father pointed the guy out saying he was acting suspiciously. Dishal watched him and when he saw the guy start running full-speed towards the little girl, his instincts kicked in.
It is vital that parents remain vigilant during these trying times. Criminal syndicates are having to change their operations to adapt to the lockdown of the economy and travel. Members of the general public can also remain vigilant and be sure to keep an eye on suspicious individuals – just in case.
Thankfully Dishal had turned his attention to the man, giving him the extra time to act quickly. The whole of South Africa has called Dishal the hero of the month, and we agree!
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