Nusrat Jiwa Osman, a 47-year-old British mother from Leicester, was kidnapped in Malawi on 11 September and held captive for a week before being rescued in a dramatic police operation. Officers stormed the building where she was held and shot four kidnappers dead, with Deputy Inspector General Noel Kayira sustaining gunshot wounds whilst leading the rescue. The case gripped Malawi as no ransom or demands were made for six days, leaving the motive deeply unclear.

Ms Osman was snatched after the school run and traced to the outskirts of Blantyre by Thursday. Authorities had offered a £12,800 reward for information about her whereabouts. Her family has praised Kayira as a national hero, and she is now safe in hospital, reportedly "smiling" and "not too shaken" by her ordeal. Malawi has experienced a concerning spike in kidnappings this year, with 15 people abducted and found dead in February alone.