“Daddy misses you Bear.” This is what Grant Cotterell’s kidnappers, who continue to hold his dog hostage, said in a video sent to their escaped victim.
Cotterell, 42, lives in Gqeberha.
He was bound and held for more than 17 hours in a small house in KwaNobuhle, Kariega, on March 11, but escaped his captors, who stole his Mitsubishi Triton double-cab bakkie and his two-year-old mix-breed dog, Bear.
A few days later, he received a video of Bear cowering in a corner and messages demanding a ransom of R120,000 for the dog and bakkie.
On Tuesday, Cotterell said he was still in touch with his kidnappers who were now demanding R50,000 for the return of Bear and the bakkie.
“We have been negotiating over the last two weeks. Every three days there is a bit of a communication,” he said.
Cotterell, who runs Orange Fuels, was preparing to drive into the Transkei in a search for Bear.
“Bear loves children, loves to run and loves going for a drive,” he said.
On March 11, Cotterell went to fetch his girlfriend from her home, but when asked to go inside to pick up laundry, he was accosted.
“I went to collect my girlfriend I’d been dating for two months from KwaNobuhle. She asked me to collect washing from her house, but once I was inside, there were guys waiting in the room behind her.
“I turned to run out and call for help but more guys were at the door. One with a panga, one with a knife and one with a gun.
“She was holding the washing basket and had fear in her eyes. She kept saying, ‘please don’t hurt him, please don’t hurt him’.
“They took me into the bedroom, put me on the ground on my hands and knees, tied my wrists and ankles together and pushed me under the double bed, on the concrete floor.
“I was on that concrete floor from 6.30pm until I managed to escape about midmorning.”
Cotterell said he lay under the bed for about two hours, listening to people moving in and out of the house.
He then persuaded his captors to allow him out from under the bed and told them his cable ties were too tight.
“They cut the cable ties and used material rope and tape. That is what I eventually broke out of.”
They took his phone and demanded passwords to his banking apps, taking thousands of rand.
“They tried to take R120,000, but it was frozen by the bank,” he said.
Cotterell lay on his side under a blanket on the floor facing a wall for 15 hours.
“After about eight hours, I heard them poking Bear, to try get him out of the car.
“Initially, they had no interest in him, but he squealed so badly I thought he had died; he was so scared. I said: ‘please, please don’t hurt my dog’.
“They saw he was important to me, so when they stole the car, they took him.”
In a moment when left alone in the house, he escaped.
“The last guy went outside and locked the door behind him. I decided this was my opportunity.
“I’d managed to squeeze one hand loose and bent to untie my legs while under the blanket.
“I got up, checked the door that was locked, went straight to the kitchen and climbed through the window.
“I ran through the back garden into the neighbour’s property. I saw a municipal car 100m away and the driver stopped and gave me a lift to the police station.”
Escorted by the police, he returned to the house, which was empty.
Cotterell said he had been in contact with the Hawks, but was told they could not assist him as the hostage was a dog, not a person.
“Though I was kidnapped, someone from the Hawks told me that they only get involved in cases where there is a human being held for ransom ...They won’t get involved if it’s a dog.”
The Hawks confirmed that the case had been handed over to police.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana confirmed a case of house robbery had been opened at the KwaNobuhle police station and a second case of extortion was opened at the Walmer police station.
: “The victim, a 42-year-old male, visited his girlfriend. At this house, five armed suspects kept the victim from 6.35pm till the next morning at about 11am, forcing him to transfer an undisclosed amount of money using his cellphone banking app,” Gantana said.
“They also took his vehicle [bakkie] and his dog.
“The second case at Walmer is an extortion case where the same suspects were attempting to extort undisclosed amounts of money from the same victim via phone messages ... for the safe return of his vehicle and dog.”
Daily Dispatch