Mohammed Dewji Abduction: Kin of Tanzanian Billionaire Offers $436,000 Reward For Info Leading to Kidnappers
Mo, as the kidnapped industrialist is popularly called, was kidnapped by a suspected 'gang of whites' in the morning of October 11.
Dar es Salaam, October 16: The kin of Mohammed Dewji, Tanzania's richest man and Africa's youngest billionaire, has offered a $436,000 reward to anyone who provides information leading to his abductors. Mo, as the kidnapped industrialist is popularly called, went missing in the morning on October 11.
As per the probe conducted by Dar es Salaam police so far, it has been found that Mo was attacked by armed gunmen at 5:35am last Thursday, when he stepped out from his Range Rover to enter his commercial building at the Colosseum hotel.
Regional police commissioner Paul Makonda, who is heading the investigation, said a "gang of whites" are suspected to have a role in his abduction. The suspects, heavily armed, came in two vehicles and dragged Mo into one of them, he said.
So far, 20 suspects have been rounded up by the police in Dar es Salaam region, Makonda said, adding that his department will not rest till Mo is successfully rescued.
Meanwhile, Mo's uncle Azim Dewji addressed a press conference on Monday, announcing a reward of one billion Tanzanian shillings, valuing nearly $4,36,000, to anyone who discloses information related to Mo. Azim further added that the identity of the one who shares the relevant info would be kept anonymous.
The reward was also announced by Mo's company MeTL (Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania) on their twitter handle:
Mo, who is the only African entrepreneur to have featured in the Forbes magazine list of richest individuals this year, had pledged to donate half of his wealth towards a campaign to "end poverty in Tanzania".
His firm, MTeL contributes nearly 3.5 per cent to the nation's gross domestic product. The company currently employs over 24,000 workers.
Mo, 43, has a net worth of $1.5 billion, as per the Forbes report. The billionaire had earlier also ventured into the political realm, serving as a member of the Parliament for 5 years representing the ruling centre-left Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party between 2010-2015.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 16, 2018 06:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).