Female teacher, 27, masterminded kidnapping of friend’s daughter, six, from her South African school for ransom – Tharina Human ‘demanded £132k ransom from Amy-Leigh de Jager’s powerboat champion father [intended] to pay off drug debt’
Teacher ‘masterminded kidnapping of girl, six, from her South African school and turned round to comfort the grieving mother at the scene
The kidnappers then demanded R 2million, [$132,943], ransom from her powerboat champion father to pay off drug debt’
Amy-Leigh de Jager, six, was snatched from her mother’s arms outside school near Johannesburg a week ago before being dumped by her kidnappers at a street corner 19 hours later
Suspect Elementary school teacher Tharina Human, is friends with the victim’s mother and class teacher for her five-year-old brother at the Kollegepark Primary School in Vanderbijlpark, Johannesburg in SA
So far cops have arrested Human, Laetitia Nel, 40, and Jacobus van Zyl, 50, in connection with the case
The alleged ring leader is Amy-Leigh’s school teacher, Tharina Human, 27, allegedly masterminded the kidnap plot to pay off a drug debt, despite being considered a ‘trusted and loyal friend’ by Amy-Leigh’s mother Human
Human appeared in court in Johannesburg Monday alongside Nel and van Zyl
They were remanded in custody while investigations continue
![Angeline de Jager [left] and Tharina Human, [right] 2.jpg](https://i0.wp.com/konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Angeline-de-Jager-left-and-Tharina-Human-right-2.jpg?resize=620%2C425&ssl=1)
Tharina Human, [right], a teacher from Johannesburg, South Africa, has been arrested for allegedly masterminding a plot to kidnap the six-year-old daughter of friend Angeline de Jager [left] from her class in order to collect a ransom of nearly $133,000 to settle her drug debts
Tharina Human, 27, is said to have masterminded a plot to abduct Amy-Leigh de Jager, six, from mother Angeline’s arms outside her school near Johannesburg in order to collect a $132,943 ransom to pay off a drug debt.
Amy-Leigh, the daughter of powerboat racer Wynand de Jager, was eventually rescued after her abductors got spooked by the media coverage and abandoned her on a street corner in Vanderbijlpark, close to where she was taken.
Human was said to be a ‘trusted and loyal friend’ of Angeline, and the pair had posed in photos together which were shared on social media.
Facebook posts from Human’s now-deleted profile show the pair referred to each-other using the nickname ‘heksie’ – meaning little witch.
Bubbly Amy-Leigh de Jager was snatched from her mum’s arms at the school gates as she arrived for classes last week Monday
Taken and Returned: Amy-Leigh [left], who is the daughter F1 racer Wynand de Jager seen here here with with Amy, his wife Angeline de Jager [right] and 5-year-old Jayden. Amy-Leigh was snatched out of her mothers arms at around 7.40am on Monday morning. Jayden reportedly witnessed the grab
![Angeline de Jager [left] and her daughter Amy Leigh de Jager [right] 1](https://i2.wp.com/konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Angeline-de-Jager-left-and-her-daughter-Amy-Leigh-de-Jager-right-1-1.jpg?resize=620%2C581&ssl=1)
Amy-Leigh [right] was returned to Angeline de Jager [left] the following day after the kidnappers apparently got spooked by the amount of media coverage and abandoned the girl in the street
Human was also the form teacher for Amy-Leigh’s brother Jayden, five.
Human appeared in court Monday alongside Laetitia Nel, 40, and Jacobus van Zyl, 50, where they were remanded in custody while investigations continue.
Police are still hunting for four men who are said to have carried out the kidnapping.
It has not been made clear what police believe Nel and Jacobus van Zyl’s role in the kidnap plot was.
The hearing was watched by Angeline, who wept into husband Wyland’s shoulder as her former friend was brought up from the cells.
All three were charged with kidnapping and will return to court to apply for bail on September 19.
South African site News24 claims to be in possession of a voice message sent by Human’s father over WhatsApp in which he said that his daughter used narcotics and was in debt to a drug lord.
It is therefore thought that she masterminded the kidnap plot in order to raise money and pay off her debts.
Reports in South Africa also revealed that, shortly after Amy-Leigh was kidnapped last week, Human sent a series of WhatsApp voice notes to parents saying their kids were safe but there were ‘sickos out there’.
She also asked for money for ‘flowers and a hamper’ for Amy-Leigh’s parents.
![Angeline de Jager [left] and her daughter Amy Leigh de Jager [right] 2](https://i0.wp.com/konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Angeline-de-Jager-left-and-her-daughter-Amy-Leigh-de-Jager-right-2.jpg?resize=620%2C302&ssl=1)
Amy-Leigh’s mother, Angeline de Jager, seen [photo], with her daughter was said to be close friends with Human and in Facebook posts, the pair referred to each-other as ‘heskie’ – meaning ‘little witch’
![Angeline de Jager [left] and Tharina Human, [right] 1](https://i0.wp.com/konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Angeline-de-Jager-left-and-Tharina-Human-right-1.jpg?resize=620%2C414&ssl=1)
Human seen [right] with Amy-Leigh’s mom, Angeline de Jager [left] appeared in court Monday accused of kidnapping her friend’s daughter, alongside her co-conspirators Laetitia Nel, 40, and Jacobus van Zyl, 50, though their role in the plot is not clear
Shortly after the kidnapping she was also seen outside the school gates where she comforted a tearful Angeline.
Human vowed to keep the couple’s son Jayden safe.
The teacher then sent a series of voice notes to a WhatsApp group for parents saying she was ‘as shocked’ as they were and asking them all to pray.
She said to the parents: ‘All we can do now is pray that she is safe, wherever and whatever. I promise you I am guarding your children with my life.
‘I’ll kill someone hey – I’m just as stressed as you are. We ask the Lord protects Amy-Leigh. What has happened is terrible. You can’t imagine it.
‘There are sicko’s out there – you can’t take chances these days’ she said.
Human was arrested in a midnight raid on Wednesday last week, the day after Amy-Leigh was discovered abandoned on a street corner at 2am by a couple who had just left a pub, and walked to a nearby police station.
Police confirmed that: ‘Amy-Leigh was released unharmed at about 2.30am on Tuesday morning having been kidnapped at 7.40am on Monday outside her school and we have made three arrests during an intelligence-led operation.
‘We have arrested two women aged 27 and 40 and a 50-year-old man at their homes in Vanderbiljpark and the operation by our specialist teams is continuing and more arrests may follow and we will keep you updated,’ Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo said
Power boat racer F1 racer Wynand de Jager [photo in competition], had been asked to pay a two-million rand ransom [$132,943], to see his daughter again
Human allegedly kidnapped six-year-old Amy-Leigh [left], because she wanted the money from F1 racer Wynand de Jager [right] in order to pay off a drug debt
Authorities released images of this room where Amy-Leigh was kept for 19 hours by the kidnappers, before she was dumped on the street
Distraught mum-of-two Angeline de Jager had just parked her VW Polo at the school gates to walk her daughter Amy-Leigh and her five-year-old son Jayden inside when four violent kidnappers in balaclavas struck.
Police believe Amy-Leigh was deliberately targeted because they threw her brother aside and ignored all the other children and grabbed the screaming girl who had been gathered up in her terrified mothers’ arms.
A short while later her father Wynand, who is a champion F1 powerboat racer on the international circuit, received a mobile call demanding a 2 million rand ransom [$132,943,000] for his daughters safe release.
The pretty brown haired and brown eyed schoolgirl was snatched at 7.40am at the Kollegepark Primary School by four black men laying in wait outside the gates of the school in a Toyota Fortuner 4 x 4.
Amy-Leigh was dragged from her distraught mother’s arms and bundled into the Fortuner which then sped off from the school which is in Vanderbijlpark which is just to the south of the city of Johannesburg.
But police told TimesLIVE that none of the ransom money the kidnappers had been demanding was paid, and that the gang likely panicked after seeing the amount of publicity the case generated.
Amy-Leigh’s auntie Louise Horn posted at 4am today on her Facebook page: ‘Amy-Leigh is safe with her parents. Thank you Lord. Words cannot describe our praise. There is still a long road but thank you Lord.
‘Thank you for a nation that can pray together. We sincerely appreciate every dear message, call and prayer.’
Parents Angeline and Wynand had been through over 19 hours of agony fearing the worst and it is not known what threats the kidnappers had made if the couple who married in 2014 did not pay up.
Police in South Africa last week Monday issued a missing person’s appeal for the return of Amy Leigh de Jager. A police spokesperson said the massive publicity for the kidnappers to return her unharmed around 19 hours later
The family said they left all negotiations leading to the release of Amy-Leigh, seen [photo, right], with her mother Angeline de Jager, to police negotiators. Cops said no ransom was paid.
Wendy said:’This is not something we usually see with kidnappings and what is odd is that the vehicle wasn’t taken but the child was as usually the child is taken by mistake when a car is hijacked.
‘What is also very curious is that the abductors seem to have targeted Amy-Lee as they paid no attention to the other children which tells us that they were waiting for her and they knew who she was,’ she said.
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