Indian family seeks PM Modi's intervention as media boss goes missing in Kenya

The family of Mr Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan, also called Zulfi by those who know him, have raised alarm after the media executive went missing in Kenya in July this year. 

The 48-year-old was on a trip to Kenya when he suddenly stopped contacting his family and friends. According to his kin, he has also stopped updating his social media accounts, which were active with posts from his exploits in Kenya as he took a holiday. 

"His trip to Kenya was yet again the explorer in Zulfi wanting to experience a new country. We enjoyed watching his social media posts of breath-taking Maasai Mara and all the amazing food he was partaking of. In his telephone conversations with friends, he said he was returning on July-24th but planned to be back towards the year end to witness the Great Migration across the Mara River," a statement from his family and friends says.

The last post on his Instagram page is of a lion roaring in the Maasai Mara. It was posted on July 21, 2022. 

In another photo, posted from a restaurant in Westlands, he shares photos of himself, along with the food he is eating. 

"But after July-21st, there was complete silence. No Facebook or Instagram updates, no phone calls, and what worried all his friends the most – our WhatsApp weren’t showing as received. He had spoken to some of his friends just days earlier and talked about wildlife at length and advised them to visit this "lovely" place. And then Zulfi just disappeared. Without a trace. No contact with family or friends," the statement added. 

His friends and relatives say they are frustrated with the progress of the investigation into his disappearance, while claiming that the police have not been helpful. 

An order from Justice Hedwig Ong'undi, issued on July 28, directed the Ministry of Interior and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to produce Mr Khan, Mr Mohammad Kidwai and Mr Nicodemus Mwania, said to have been their taxi driver, in court. However, they have remained missing since. 

Now, his relatives say, they want Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and implore Kenyan authorities to help find Mr Khan.

"We want to make people aware about who Zulfi really is, question his disappearance, and plead with our Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to intervene and ask the government of Kenya to start a search operation to get our Zulfi back home safe."

Mr Khan worked as the former senior executive at Star and Balaji Telefilms, both media firms in the Asian country.