Mombasa businessman killed by kidnappers who wanted Ksh.2M ransom

A Mombasa businessman was found dead on Monday morning and his body dumped along a road in Bombolulu, Kisauni Sub-county.

The businessman, Moiz Esmaili-jee; who is of Asian origin, is said to have been kidnapped by unknown people on Saturday, November 11, outside a mosque in Old Town area where he had attended evening prayers.

Confirming the incident, Mombasa DCIO Jacob Kaneke told Citizen Digital that the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of Ksh.2 million for the release of Mr Esmailijee.

Apparently, the businessman’s family had already paid Ksh.300,000 to the kidnappers only for them to kill him by what preliminary investigations indicated to be strangulation.

“So the kidnappers were requesting for ransom and as the police were investigating Ksh.300,000 had been paid. Using the phone numbers we tracked them, which led us to a certain place and where the money was withdrawn. Very soon we shall get in touch with them,” said Kaneke.

The police have since launched investigations into the matter, and are banking on two leads – the M-Pesa agent where the perpetrators allegedly withdrew the Ksh.300,000 and a certain institution where they traced the phone calls of the suspects to be coming from – to identify and arrest the suspects.

The body of the deceased was taken to Pandya Memorial Hospital Mortuary for a postmortem before burial.