A 47-year-old British woman who was abducted in the southern African nation of Malawi last week has been safely rescued, police announced on Thursday. Inspector General Richard Luhanga, the head of the Malawi police, confirmed that Nusrat Osman is safe but declined to provide further details regarding the rescue operation, noting that a formal statement would be issued later.
Osman, a mother of two who reportedly works for a local auditing firm, was originally abducted around lunchtime on September 11 in a neighborhood of the southern city of Blantyre. British media reports indicate that she is originally from the city of Leicester.
According to Osman’s brother, Shobi Jiwa, who spoke with the Malawi news outlet Nation Online, the rescue operation resulted in the deputy inspector general being shot and wounded. It remains unclear if any arrests have been made in connection with the kidnapping.
Prior to her rescue, Malawi police had reported that they were searching for four men who utilized a grey car to abduct her. Authorities stated that the motive for the kidnapping was unclear, and the suspects had not reached out to either the victim's family or the authorities. A reward of approximately $17,000 had been offered by authorities for information leading to the rescue of Osman and the subsequent arrest and conviction of the kidnappers.
