Nearly five weeks after his dramatic abduction outside his hotel premises in Lilongwe, Crossroads Hotel managing director Sameer Sacranie on Tuesday night safely “walked” into his Area 9 residence in the capital city.
In an interview yesterday, National Police spokesperson Lael Chimtembo confirmed that Sacranie walked home around 11.30pm on Tuesday.
“He is safe. He walked home last night around 11.30,” said Chimtembo.
But he declined to disclose where Sacranie was held by his alleged abductors or the circumstances surrounding his release, saying police will issue a statement soon.
Sacranie was abducted at the hotel on February 6 at 10.30am as he arrived for work. Closed circuit television (CCTV) footage showed three men dressed in white robes ambushed him, then fired two shots into the air and forced him into a Toyota Fortuner SUV and sped off.
Police later found the suspected getaway vehicle abandoned in Area 6, a stone’s throw from the scene of the incident. The vehicle was fitted with two different number plates, KA 1444 and KK1008.
In February, police said they had identified persons of interest and were working closely with the Sacranie family as investigations progressed.
His abduction stirred panic and moved Parliament to demand answers from government on the business mogul’s disappearance.
Minister of Homeland Security Peter Mukhito told Parliament on February 17 that specialised investigative teams were deployed and intelligence resources activated.
The minister, a former police chief, also cautioned against politicising the matter or linking it to religion.
Yesterday, Mukhito declined to comment further, referring queries to the police.
Efforts to obtain comment from the Sacranie family were unsuccessful as the family did not respond to The Nation’s questionnaire.
But a police source yesterday said Sacranie was found weak and with an over-grown beard when a team visited his residence.
Reacting to Sacranie’s return yesterday, Human Rights Defenders Coalition national coordinator Kelvin Chirwa welcomed the development, but called for a thorough investigation.
