TANZANIAN SECURITY
Family offers reward for news of kidnapped billionaire
Three phone hotlines have been opened to gather information about the kidnapping of Mohammed Dewji
The family of a Tanzanian billionaire who was abducted last week has offered 1-billion shillings ($437,000) to anyone with new information that will lead to his rescue. Three phone hotlines have been opened to gather information about the kidnapping of Mohammed Dewji, the 43-year-old owner of MeTL Group, a family spokesperson told reporters on Monday at the firm’s offices in Dar es Salaam. The abduction of Dewji, listed by Forbes as Africa’s youngest billionaire with a net worth of $1.5bn, is the latest worrying turn for Tanzania. Once described as an "island of peace" in a turbulent region, the East African nation has seen a recent spate of politically motivated violence. Police have arrested 26 people in connection with Dewji’s kidnapping, the local Mwananchi newspaper said in reports on Monday.
MeTL accounts for about 3.5% of Tanzania’s GDP, according to its website, importing items including palm oil and consumer goods, while exporting agricultural products such as sugar a...
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