A car dealer was injured after a four wheel drive car he was delivering to a client for viewing was carjacked on Thika Road, Nairobi.
The gunmen behind the incident dumped the Toyota Prado at Kahawa Wendani along Thika Road after they were accosted by an online taxi driver who wanted to be compensated for a hit and run.
Witnesses said the men opened fire on Sunday night after the Prado veered off the road and crashed into a rail guard.
The car had earlier on, while speeding on the highway hit a taxi that had been parked on the roadside in Juja.
The driver then sped off before negotiating with the taxi driver on how to compensate him for the damages he had caused.
Aggrieved by the matter and presumed arrogance, the taxi driver trailed the Prado in a highway chase from Juja to Kahawa Wendani.
During the chase, the occupants of the vehicle shot to the air scare off the taxi driver, who did not comply but instead continued risking his life.
Amid the loud gunshots, the taxi driver claimed to hear someone inside the Prado screaming for help.
A victim carjacking wearing a white vest had been locked in the boot of the car and his mouth tied with a cello tape.
The car later rammed onto a rail and got stuck there before armed occupants, two men and a woman jumped out.
They took a motorcycle to escape the scene.
They then at gun point ordered him off before they took its charge and rode off.
“They drew their weapons and forced the boda rider to scamper for safety, before the taxi driver could zero down on them, stranded on the highway,” a witness said.
Residents rushed to the Prado and found a man believed to be the owner of the vehicle tied and locked therein.
It emerged the men had stolen the Prado, kidnapped the man, and used him as a hostage to demand ransom from his family since Friday. His family had put a request online saying two dealers who were delivering the car to a client were missing after suspected carjacking and kidnapping.
The residents untied him from the boot before police officers arrived at the scene and took him to hospital.
Police said investigations into the accident, kidnapping and hit and run case are ongoing.
The car seller who sent the two had reported the Prado and his two colleagues were missing.
According to the businessman, the two men went missing on Friday after driving the Land Cruiser to a potential client for viewing.
“This business of ours has a dark side – kidnappers and/or carjackers. The relevant authorities have been contacted for action. Please share and repost,” the automobile enthusiast requested via his X pages.
He added that the case was reported at the Kasarani Police Station on Saturday, December 2 at 7.50 pm.
The businessman confirmed that the abducted man was found safe and sound despite being tied in the car.
The second man was also reported safe, but his whereabouts are still unknown.
Detectives are pursuing the gunmen who escaped the scene.
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