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The family of Nusrat Osman have paid tribute to a Malawian police officer shot during the dramatic operation

A mother who was kidnapped by armed men in Malawi has been safely recovered and reunited with her family after a dramatic police operation.

Nusrat Osman, a 47-year-old from Leicester, was grabbed from the street in Blantyre's Mount Pleasant neighbourhood last Friday while on the school run.

The mother-of-two had relocated to the southern African nation to accompany her husband and was employed there as an auditor.

Four armed men are believed to have dragged her from her vehicle and fled in a grey Nissan Dualis.

Her brother Shobi Jiwa has confirmed that Mrs Osman is now back home after six days in captivity.

A senior Malawian police officer sustained a gunshot wound during the rescue mission.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Noel Kayira was hit by a bullet but survived and is reported to be out of danger.

Mr Jiwa did not reveal the location of the shooting or name those who had allegedly been holding his sister.

"We are deeply grateful to Noel Kayira, Deputy Inspector General of the Malawi Police, who took a bullet to his body and bravely saved our sister Nusrat," he said.

Remarkably, Mrs Osman appears to have emerged from the ordeal in good spirits.

Mr Jiwa said his sister is "smiling" and, miraculously, "not too shaken" after her terrifying experience.

Prior to her rescue, the brother had spoken about the harrowing circumstances of the abduction, describing how armed men pulled Mrs Osman from her car.

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"My sister has been missing for five days with no trace or call," he said at the time.

When asked whether the family had any understanding of why she might have been targeted, he responded: "There is nothing we can think of."

Mrs Osman's husband also spoke to local news outlet Nyasa Times during the search.

"I don't know where she is or how she is. My wife is an auditor and I have no issues with anyone," he said.

The Malawi Police Service had put up a reward of K30million (£12,600) for reliable information that could lead to Mrs Osman's recovery and the capture, prosecution and conviction of those responsible.

The motive behind the kidnapping remains unclear, with the family unable to identify any reason for the attack.

At the time of Mrs Osman's rescue, police had not yet issued a formal statement on the operation.