British woman rescued in Malawi after kidnapping; police officer wounded

A British woman who was kidnapped in southern Malawi last week has been rescued, the country's police chief said Thursday.

Inspector General Richard Luhanga said 47-year-old Nusrat Osman was safe but declined to provide further details, adding that police would issue a statement later on the rescue operation.

Osman's brother, Shobi Jiwa, told a Malawian news outlet that she was freed in an operation during which the deputy inspector general was shot and wounded. It was not immediately clear whether any arrests had been made.

Osman, a mother of two young children who reportedly works for a local auditing firm, was abducted around lunchtime on Sept. 11 in a neighbourhood of Blantyre, in the country's south. British media have reported that she is originally from Leicester.

Police had said they were searching for four men who used a grey car to carry out the kidnapping. The motive was unclear, and the suspects had not contacted Osman's family or authorities.

Authorities had offered a reward of about $17,000 for information leading to her rescue and the arrest and conviction of those responsible.