British woman that was kidnapped in Malawi rescued by police efter a shootout

A Breetish wumman kidnapped in Malawi last week has been rescuet by polis efter a shootout in whilk fower o her alleged abductors war kilt.

Nusrat Osman was abductit ootside her hame in the soothren ceety o Blantyre on 11 September at aboot 12.30pm. Polis hid offerit a reward o 30m Malawi kwacha (£12,950) for information leadin til her rescue and the arrest o the perpetrators.

Malawian polis announcit Osman’s rescue late on Thursday in a statement. “There was an exchange o fire atween polis and kidnappers, wha war airmit wi [an] AK47 rifle and a Girsan Regard MC pistol. In the process, the criminals got shot and war taen til hospital whaur they succumbit til their injuries,” it read.

A polis officer, deputy inspector general Mlowoka Noel Kayira, was also shot durin the operation. “He is currently receivin medical attention at the hospital and is in a stable condition,” polis said.

Osman, a 47-year-auld auditor and mither o twa, was safe and “no that shaken” efter her ordeal, her brither Shobi Jiwa tauld the Sun, expressin his gratitude til Malawi’s polis.

Jiwa reservit special thanks for Kayira. “He is the hero o oor faimily. He’s the hero o the kintra,” he said. “He’s the hero o the warld, actually, for puttin his life at risk and takin a bullet into himsel for my sister.”

Kidnappins are rare in Malawi, whilk has experienced a rise in pickpocktin and hoose burglaries by aften airmit men in recent years amang unstable, crisis-riddin economic conditions.

The landlockit soothren African kintra is ane o the warld’s puirest nations, wi a population o aboot 22 million and an average annual income o juist $672, accordin til the Warld Bank.

In 2024, a kintra report by the US state department’s diplomatic security service said: “Kidnappins are no a widespread concern in Malawi, and there have been nae recent high-profile incidents involvin westerners.

“Historically, expatriates have no been significant targets for kidnappins in the kintra. Whan kidnappins dae occur, they aften involve members o the Asian business community rather than foreign travellers or residents.”

Osman, wha is originally frae Leicester, warkit for a local audit firm and hid livit in Malawi wi her husband and bairns for several years. Afore her rescue, her faimily said they hid nae news o her, includin ony contact frae the kidnappers demandin a ransom.

Her husband, Nazil Osman, tauld the local news outlet Nyasa Times: “I dinna ken whaur she is or how she is. My wife is an auditor, and I hae nae issues wi onybody.”

Her brither tauld the Sun on Tuesday: “My sister has been missin for five days wi nae trace or call,” addin that the faimily cud no think o a motive for her kidnapin.

Polis did no say whether information receivit in response til the offerit reward hid led til Osman’s rescue, addin that investigations war on-gaun and mair details wad be shared “in due course”.