None of the recovered items belong to Zulfi, says brother of missing Balaji ex-COO

After over three months since Zulfiqar went missing while on a holiday in Nairobi, and varied speculations about him thereafter, Dubai-based Iftikhar travelled to Kenya to meet government officials investigating the matter

Mumbai: Iftikhar Khan may have briefly eased his family’s anxiety over the disappearance his younger brother Zulfiqar Khan, ex-COO of Balaji Telefilms, in Kenya in July this year.

None of the recovered items belong to Zulfi, says brother of missing Balaji ex-COO

After over three months since Zulfiqar went missing while on a holiday in Nairobi, and varied speculations about him thereafter, Dubai-based Iftikhar travelled to Kenya to meet government officials investigating the matter. After going through the recovered items supposedly belonging to Zulfiqar, he has told the Kenyan government that none of those belong to Zulfiqar.

In an exclusive telephonic interaction with HT, Iftikhar, said he had made this submission in writing after a meeting with top government officials in Kenya last week.

Zulfiqar and his old friend Zaid Sami Kidwai have been missing since July 22 this year, along with Nicodemus Mwange, a Kenyan national who was their taxi driver the previous night. Amidst reports of the three men being killed by rogue elements in the Kenya police department and a court-monitored investigation by the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU), Zulfiqar’s family had steadfastly maintained that reports of his death were inaccurate.

Iftikhar returned to Delhi on Monday from Nairobi, where he met the Indian High Commissioner in Kenya, the Kenyan Director of Public Prosecutions and the Kenyan Director of Criminal Investigations.

“The Kenyan police clearly stated that they had absolutely no evidence to conclude that Zulfiqar is no longer with us. The Indian High Commissioner insisted that the investigation be conducted purely based on evidence and the police agreed. They then took us to see the clothes, belt and shoes recovered during their search operation. I examined every item and submitted a signed letter stating that not a single item belongs to Zulfiqar,” Iftikhar said.

Kenya’s IAU has so far arrested nine officers formerly posted with the Special Services Unit, a rogue squad within the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), in connection with the three men’s disappearance. Nearly 100 officers subsequently combed the Aberdare National Park in Kenya, recovering several items which they claimed belonged to the trio.

In his meeting, Iftikhar also proposed that a team of Indian investigators visit Kenya to assist the local police with the probe, which the Indian High Commissioner assured to take up with the concerned ministers in the Kenyan and Indian governments.

He said Zaid and his wife Ambreen were already in Kenya when Zulfiqar left on a one-month tourist visa. “They spent a lot of time together. On July 21, Zulfiqar and Zaid went to a restaurant and went missing on their way back to the hotel,” said Iftikhar, adding that he had no information about the purpose of Zaid’s visit. He had met Ambreen only after the two went missing. The couple hail from Lucknow.

An Instagram post by Ambreen on July 21 shows all of them having breakfast at Botanica, a restaurant at Waiyaki Way, Nairobi.

He recalled an excited Zulfiqar looking forward to the Kenya trip, as he “loved travelling, sightseeing and trekking”. “He had quit his job on June 15 as he wished to start something on his own. After the holiday, he had planned to spend time with us in Dubai. I told him to stay for a good two months, so that he could relax and make up his mind about the future. He last spoke to me on the phone on July 19 and confirmed that he would be leaving for Dubai in a couple of days,” said Iftikhar.

However, things changed in a few days. After he went missing, his brother-in-law, Aftab Alvi, rushed to Kenya on July 25, where he also met Ambreen. They made several rounds of every government office, both Kenyan and Indian.

While there was no concrete follow-though on their disappearance, many theories started doing the rounds, most prominent being Zulfiqar and Zaid assisting the recently elected Kenyan President William Ruto in his election campaign, which led to their abduction.

“Zulfiqar never had anything to do with politics. The Masai Mara wildlife reserve was his only hook and we were making plans to visit the place with the entire family in September, to watch the great migration,” said Iftikhar.

“We are confident that both the governments are working hard and will bring both men back safe and sound soon,” he said.