A 19-year-old Bloemfontein learner, Kamogelo Baukudi, who was kidnapped earlier this month, triggering a nationwide search, has been found alive, South African police confirmed on Friday.

Police spokesperson Motantsi Makhele says after intensive investigation, Baukudi was safely located and rescued in Wepener in the early hours of Friday.

The discovery follows an intensive manhunt for his abductors, leading to the arrest of six suspects.

Kamogelo Baukudi, a Grade 11 student at a Bloemfontein school for children with special needs, was abducted on June 5 while on his way home from school.

Rescue operation

“Kamogelo Baukudi (19), a Grade 11 learner from Martie du Plessis School, was found alive in Wepener following a coordinated rescue operation. During this intelligence-driven operation, five African males arrested,” South Africa Police said in a statement on X.

According to authorities, two men, impersonating police officers, pulled over the learner and his driver in a double-cab vehicle fitted with blue lights. One suspect was reportedly in a police uniform, while the other wore a blue tracksuit.

The uniformed individual allegedly informed Baukudi’s driver that his vehicle was suspected of drug delivery.

The perpetrators then confiscated their cell phones, separated the pair, and instructed the driver to follow them to the Park Road Police Station, with Baukudi in the suspects' vehicle.

It was previously revealed that the kidnappers had contacted Baukudi’s mother to demand a ransom.