Delhi Court Revives Hunt for Indians Tied to Ruto’s Campaign
This week, a court case was held in India regarding the disappearance in Kenya of two Indians who vanished in the lead-up to the general election last year. On 22 July of last year, Mr. Zulficiar Ahmad Khan, Mr. Zaid Sarni Kidwai, and their Kenyan driver, Mr. Nicodemus Mwania, went AWOL.
The Indians were affiliated with then-vice president William Ruto’s presidential campaigns.
After assuming office in October of last year, President Ruto abolished a special police unit implicated in the disappearances.
This week, a magistrate at the New Delhi High Court heard that the abduction of the two Indians appeared to be ‘politically motivated’ and that efforts to obtain information about their whereabouts from Kenyan and Indian authorities had failed.
The court ordered the Indian government to submit a comprehensive report on the circumstances surrounding the two Indians’ disappearance.
Following a petition by Ms. Anis Fatima Zacharia, the sister of Mr. Zulficiar, the court requested that the ministries of external affairs and home affairs provide the requested information.
Justice Subramonium Prasad requested that the court receive the status report within two weeks.
The petition is scheduled to be heard in the Delhi High Court beginning next month. Ms. Fatima alleged in her petition that her brother was detained in Kenya before his disappearance last year, just days before the Kenyan elections.
“As far as the petitioner and her family are aware, they are being held under the authority and on the orders of the local Kenyan police.” Moreover, the petitioner does not know the whereabouts of her brother, his friend, and his chauffeur as of today, whether they are alive or dead, or whether they are being detained, according to the petition filed by attorneys Nishant Singh and Sagrika Tanwar.
Ms. Fatima informed the court that the family had made multiple appeals to the Indian embassy in Nairobi and filed a habeas corpus petition with the Kenyan High Court but to no avail.
The court was informed that information was also sent to the offices of the Prime Minister of India and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, but no action has been deemed satisfactory as of yet.
“The abduction purportedly appears to be politically motivated, and despite the petitioner and the rest of the family’s ongoing efforts with the Kenyan authorities, little assistance has been forthcoming. She stated that the family has not been informed of the investigation’s status nor has it received any other information from Kenyan authorities.
Ms. Fatima urged the court to instruct the Indian authorities to use all available channels to coordinate with the Kenyan authorities to determine the whereabouts of her brother.
She claimed that the Kenyan police officers unlawfully and arbitrarily stopped the vehicle they were traveling in.
Mr. Khan, who was rumored to be working with President Ruto’s media team in advance of the recent elections, his companion, and a local taxi driver vanished while traveling along Mombasa Road.
The last time the three were seen alive was at a prominent establishment on Parklands Road in the Westlands sub-county. They departed the establishment in a Toyota Fielder.
Ms. Ambreen Kidwai, Mr. Kidwai’s wife, who was waiting for them at a hotel on Mombasa Road where they were lodging, reported their disappearance to Parklands Police Station but was turned away.
Officers at the station informed her on 23 July 2022 that she could only submit a missing person’s report after 48 hours had passed. Mr. Khan had served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Balaji Telefilms, one of India’s leading media organizations.
He has also worked for Eros, Star TV India, and Warner Brothers, among others.
On June 24, 2022, the media figure arrived in Kenya on a tourist visa. The Saturday Nation believes they were scheduled to depart the country on August 20, 2022.
In the meantime, Mr. Mwania’s family has never granted an interview to the media, a close family member confiding in GossipA2Z that they fear for their safety.
“They are extremely concerned about what may have occurred and are unwilling to speak,” the family member explained.
Eight members of the disbanded Special Service Unit (SSU) are currently facing allegations of their disappearance before a Kenyan court.
The court released on personal bail Joseph Mwenda Mbaya, David Chepcheng Kipsoi, Stephen Luseno Matunda, Paul Njogu Muriithi, Simon Muhuga Gikonyo, Peter Muthee Gachiku, John Mwangi Kamau, and Joseph Kamau Mbugua.
Chief Magistrate of the Kahawa Law Courts Diana Mochache issued the release order and instructed the officers not to interfere with witnesses and to make themselves available to investigators whenever necessary; otherwise, their parole would be revoked.
The court was informed during the hearing that the three may have been assassinated. The affidavit filed by the investigating officer, Mr. Michael Kirui, did not specify the motive for the alleged assassination of the three individuals.
Delhi Court Revives Hunt for Indians Tied to Ruto’s Campaign
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