Reward Offered in 'Shocking' Abduction of African Billionaire

Mohammed Dewji's whereabouts still unknown
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 15, 2018 4:52 PM CDT
Reward Offered in 'Shocking' Abduction of African Billionaire
Mohammed Dewji   (Wikimedia/Gonzalezbarbara)

Days after Africa's youngest billionaire was kidnapped, Mohammed Dewji's family is offering a $440,000 reward for information leading to his rescue. Dewji, said to be Tanzania's only billionaire, was taken by masked gunmen on his way into a gym in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam Thursday morning. More than 20 people have been arrested in connection with the abduction, but police still have not uncovered a motive for the crime or Dewji's whereabouts, the BBC reports. The married father of three is said to have "huge celebrity status" in Tanzania.

"We want to assure anyone with the information about the whereabouts of our son to come forward and we will treat their information as secret," a family spokesperson said at a press conference announcing the reward. Dewji, whose company has interests in textile manufacturing, flour milling, beverages, and edible oils, promised in 2016 he would donate at least half of his $1.5 billion fortune to charity, the Guardian reports. The 43-year-old also served in Tanzania's parliament for 10 years and owns a majority stake in the Simba Sports Club football team in the Tanzanian Premier League. (Dewji was said to have an "incredibly relaxed" approach to security.)

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