Nearly a month after Crossroads Hotel managing director Sameer Sacranie resurfaced from a 33-day abduction ordeal, authorities are yet to provide a substantive update, fuelling concern over transparency, accountability and the state of national security.
Sacranie returned home on the night of March 10 2026 after disappearing on February 6 2026 when armed men in white robes abducted him from his workplace in Lilongwe.
He reportedly walked into his father’s house in Area 9 around 11.30pm, unharmed, after what is believed to have been an escape from his captors.
But since his return, both the police and government have offered little beyond assurances that investigations are ongoing.
When contacted yesterday, National Police spokesperson Lael Chimtembo said authorities will update the public “when the right time comes”, declining to disclose whether Sacranie has provided details about his captors, their location or motive.
update the public.
| Nation
Minister of Homeland Security Peter Mukhito has also remained largely silent.
While he previously told Parliament that police had recorded a statement from the victim and pledged a ministerial update, weeks later no such statement has been delivered. Efforts to reach him for comment this week were unsuccessful.
Speaker of National Assembly Sameer Suleman said yesterday that Mukhito updated Parliament on the matter that the case was being investigated.
However, he said if members of the public are not satisfied, they can always move Parliament on the same.
“We are all waiting for a report once investigations have been concluded,” said Suleman.
Meanwhile, the information blackout is now drawing criticism from lawmakers, who warn that lack of updates risks eroding public confidence in the country’s security apparatus.
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) chief whip Moses Kunkuyu, who formally asked for a ministerial statement on the case, said the continued silence is troubling, especially given the case’s prominence.
He said: “The matter was brought before Parliament and we have a representative duty to demand answers.
“To date, there is no clear indication of when government will update the nation on this case.”
Kunkuyu cautioned that unresolved high-profile crimes feed into a broader perception of insecurity with potential economic and social consequences.
“A breakdown in national security has far-reaching effects. Investors are deterred and citizens lose confidence. Left unchecked, such conditions can trigger wider instability,” he said.
In a separate interview, Dedza Kasina legislator Joshua Malango (MCP) also raised alarm, linking Sacranie’s case to what he described as a worrisome pattern of abductions, particularly affecting the Indian community.
He said: “These cases tend to fade once the victim is found, but the critical questions remain unanswered, who is behind them and why?
“We also need to confront the issue of illegal firearms, which pose a growing threat to national security.”
Meanwhile, Sacranie’s family has kept a low profile since the victim’s return.
When contacted yesterday, a family member Taheer Sacranie said they are not ready to comment publicly.
“The family does not have any information to give out to the media for now,” he said.
The case is increasingly seen as a test of the State’s ability to investigate organised crime, communicate transparently and reassure a public growing uneasy about safety.
Meanwhile, the key questions such as who abducted Sacranie, how he was held and why, remain unanswered.
