One Week After Being Kidnapped, Indian-Origin Billionaire Returns Home

Mohammed Dewji, Tanzania’s only and Africa’s youngest billionaire has returned home safely this morning, a week after his abduction, media reports say.

According to reports, 43-year-old Dewji, who was seized by armed gunmen outside a hotel last week came home this morning.

Dewji, CEO of the METL Group, was kidnapped when he arrived for a morning workout at a posh hotel in Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam last week. According to Forbes, he is estimated to be worth $1.5 billion, making him Africa’s 17th richest man and its youngest billionaire.

“I have returned home safely'” METL Group tweeted on its official twitter handle without providing more details about how he got away from his captors. The company also quoted him thanking those who had worked for his release, including the police, news agency ThomsonReuters wrote in its report.

Dewji’s kidnapping had caused concerns in his country where such kidnappings are rare. Dewji is one of the country’s prominent businessmen.

Tanzania’s Environment Minister and Dewji’s former parliament colleague January Makamba also tweeted that he had spoken with him and that he was safe, the news agency reported.

ThomsonReuters also quoted Makamba as saying that Dewji had bruises on his hands and feet from being tied up by his kidnappers. He said the kidnappers had freed Dewji by dumping him in a field in the early hours of Saturday morning.