Dar es Salaam. Police in Tanzania's Dar es Salaam Special Zone are holding four Chinese nationals in connection with the kidnapping of two fellow Chinese businessmen and a ransom demand of $20 million.
The victims were abducted from the PSSSF Twin Towers in Dar es Salaam and later rescued in a special police operation conducted on Saturday, May 16, 2026.
Speaking on Monday, May 25, 2026, Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander Jumanne Muliro said the incident was reported on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at around 1:30 am, when the two businessmen, Weiyi Chen (64) and Liang Xiolo (44), were allegedly kidnapped.
Mr Muliro said the victims were ambushed by a group of seven people and taken to an unknown location, after which the suspects contacted their relatives demanding a $20 million (about Sh52.2 billion) ransom for their release.
“After investigations began, we were able to identify the vehicles used in the crime, including a Toyota Alphard registration number T305 DRA, which was found to be irregular, and a Toyota Harrier registration number T188 DHT,” he said.
He said a rescue operation was launched on Saturday, May 16, 2026, during which the victims were found in Mbezi Beach, Kinondoni District, with injuries on various parts of their bodies.
Following further investigations, police arrested four suspects, all Chinese nationals: Fan Zhong (49), Deng Anging (49), Zhang Jianjun (51), and Deng Qiang.
Officers also recovered the victims’ mobile phones and other exhibits linked to the crime.
Mr Muliro said the suspects used multiple mobile phones to plan and coordinate the kidnapping before abandoning them after the operation and switching to other devices and SIM cards.
“They were using four phones before and after the incident, but after committing the crime, they discarded them and switched to other phones,” he said.
He added that although some details of the investigation could not be disclosed at this stage, evidence showed the crime was carefully planned and executed.
“This was a well-planned and executed crime, but a criminal is a criminal and crime does not pay,” he said.
Mr Muliro said the suspects had already been interrogated and were providing information to assist ongoing investigations.
He stressed that anyone implicated in the case would face legal action as police continue to follow due process in both investigation and prosecution.
In a separate development, Mr Muliro said police are also investigating other serious crimes in Dar es Salaam, including the killing of businessman and owner of XIL LI plastic recycling factory, Mr Baozang Ge, in Mabibo Sokoni, as well as the kidnapping of the assistant to the Chadema chairman, Mr David Djumbe.
He said investigations into those cases are ongoing, and the public will be informed once suspects are apprehended.
Mr Muliro urged members of the public to continue cooperating with police by providing timely and accurate information to help curb crime in society.
