What Rai’s kidnappers returned to him before letting him go

Billionaire businessman and Kabras Sugar chairman Jaswant Singh Rai was released by his kidnappers after two days in captivity.

The kidnappers returned the Sh20,000 they had taken from him, as well as his mobile phone and gold wristwatch. They also told him to take an Uber taxi to his house, which is about a kilometre away from where they dropped him.

Rai told police that the kidnappers were holding him at a bright room, which was not too far from where he had been kidnapped. He, however, could not recall the exact place.

He was still in hospital on Tuesday, August 29, for medical attention.

The billionaire went missing on August 25 after his Toyota Land cruiser was blocked at the junction of Wood Avenue and Lenana Road in Kilimani opposite Kenwood Apartments at around 4pm by persons driving a grey double-cab pick-up.

CCTV footage of the abduction shows four men getting out of the pick-up and forcibly pulling the occupants of the billionaire’s car into their vehicle before speeding off towards Galana Road.

Rai’s car was left idling on the road.

Later, officers at Kilimani police station received reports of an abandoned vehicle and towed it to the station, unoccupied and with only a minor scratch on the front right side where the pick-up had made contact.

The billionaire owns Raiply, Kabras Sugar and Uganda-based Sarrai Group.

His lawyer, Kioko Kilukumi, said he is yet to get instructions from Rai regarding the abduction.

The senior lawyer said he is giving his client time before any action is taken.

This came as the bank executive linked to the Mumias Sugar Company lease battles was grilled.

Victoria Commercial Bank chief executive Yogesh Pattni spent the better part of Monday at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations for questioning.

He returned there Tuesday for further grilling, police said.

It is unclear what Pattni was being questioned about and why the DCI picked him from his Two-Rivers Mall office on Monday.