Businessman who was abducted at Burma market found in Athi River – VIDEO
A 39-year-old businessman who was abducted outside Burma market on Monday by four men suspected to be police officers was found in a derelict building in Athi River on Wednesday.
Michael Mungai alias Cheupe has been missing after the “arrest” following a dispute with the Nairobi County government officials who wanted to put up stalls on a space used as parking and access for emergency vehicles in the market.
‘ARRESTED’
Mungai was found with both hands and legs tie with wires in the building after members of public heard his calls for help.
He was “arrested” a day after Kamukunji Deputy County Commissioner Moses Lilan stopped implementation of the project following a dispute between the traders’ leaders and county officials.
Lilan said they received a distress call on Sunday from some traders at the market that there was a project spearheaded by some of the market leaders and the project was being erected on public space within the market. The administrator said police were sent at the market to restore law and order.
“When we did our preliminary investigations, we found that being on a Sunday and Burma market being a public facility, the implementation of the project was unprocedural and that is why we instructed our enforcement agencies to stop the project,”Lilan said.
“Upon the stoppage of this project is when we received information that one of the market leaders was missing and that is when the investigations commenced.”
ABDUCTORS
Mungai said he was bundled into a car, a Probox, by four men who introduced themselves as police officers. None of them was in uniforms and the car’s registration plates were covered.
But Kamukunji police Adamson Bungei denied that Mungai was in custody of police and said the trader was in the hands of abductors.
Bungei said a trader at the market reported that Mungai was not seen in the market.
He said what was reported to police – not officially – was a case of disappearance of one trader at the market by one of them that their counterpart is not seen in the market.
Bungei said officers were sent on the ground to find out what had happened.
“The information we got was that this person said to have been arrested, was not available and did not come back to his house on that particular day Sunday. In the process of our investigations, our officers have been able to trace the person and found him in Athi River,”Bungei said.
LOADED PISTOL
“This person was not arrested by the police and as at now our men are finding out what happened and who did this because we can’t allow abduction or any kind of such practices. I want to put it very clear that we are looking to arrest the perpetrators of this evil act that has been done to this person.”
“We have measures of ensuring that whoever did that is brought to book by whatever means and wheels of enforcement,” Bungei said.
Mungai said his abductors faulted him for stopping the project, gave him a pistol and showed him how to use it telling him to prepare for a fight for the project.
“The pistol had three rounds of bullets and the driver of the car confirmed the same to the others. They ensured that this gun was in my hands for the entire duration of my stay with them,” Mungai said on Wednesday at the Shauri Moyo police Station where he was to record a statement over his predicament.
He accused a city politician of being behind his woes because he wanted to use the project to reward his supporters by building the stalls for them on the public space.
Mungai now says he fears he could be victimized for any crimes he is not part of if the pistol is used in such crimes. He is appealing to the government to help him.