TAKEN

Tanzanian Billionaire Mohammed Dewji Kidnapped

He was abducted Thursday morning outside a hotel gym.

Mohammed Dweji, Africa’s “youngest billionaire,” was abducted Thursday morning on his way to a hotel gym in Oysterbay, an affluent neighborhood in Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam. Three people have been arrested in connection to the kidnapping, and the abductors are believed to be foreign nationals, according to officials. Forbes has estimated Dweji’s wealth to be around $1.5 billion and called him “Tanzania’s only billionaire.” According to the BBC, he is credited with transforming his family business from a wholesale and retail enterprise into a pan-African conglomerate. A tweet from Environment Minister January Makamba reported that Dweji’s father and family confirmed he had been kidnapped. The kidnappers fired shots in the air before driving away with the billionaire, eyewitnesses said. Despite his wealth, Dweji and his family have always had a “relaxed approach” to security. Authorities are on “high alert” as they search for the abductors.