A BRITISH woman who was kidnapped in Malawi nearly a week ago has been rescued in a police operation that left four suspected kidnappers dead and a senior police chief wounded.
Nusrat Osman, 47, was freed on Thursday during an operation on the outskirts of the southern city of Blantyre, police said.
Officers exchanged gunfire with the suspected kidnappers, who police said were armed with an AK-47 rifle and a pistol.
“The criminals got shot and were rushed to the hospital where they succumbed to the injuries,” the Malawi Police Service said in a statement.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Noel Kayira, who was involved in the operation, also sustained gunshot injuries and is being treated in hospital. The police statement said he was in a stable condition.
Osman was reunited with her family following the rescue and was also taken to hospital for treatment, and for physical and mental health assessments, local media reported.
Police inspector general Richard Luhanga said she was “still traumatised”, and told AFP news agency that they will interview her when she is “settled properly”.
“The motive is still not known but the investigations are ongoing,” he added.
Osman’s younger brother, Shobi Jiwa, praised the Malawian police for securing her release, telling the UK’s Sun newspaper that the family was deeply grateful for the force’s efforts in investigating the kidnapping.
He also paid tribute to Kayira, the police chief who was shot during the rescue operation, describing him as the family’s “hero” for putting his own life at risk to save her.
Police have not identified the four suspected kidnappers who were killed and have not provided further details about how officers located the group.
Osman was abducted by four unidentified men in Blantyre’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood on 11 September.
Police said she had been driving home when the men blocked her vehicle, forced her into another car and drove away.
Her disappearance prompted a major search operation, with authorities offering a reward of 30 million Malawian kwacha ($17,000; £12,500) for information leading to her rescue and the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
Osman, who is from Leicester in the UK, has lived in Malawi for several years and works for an auditing firm. She is married and has two young children.