Police are investigating the abduction and murder of Zambia’s newly appointed broadcasting regulator chief.

Guntila Muleya’s body was discovered on the outskirts of the capital, Lusaka, on Wednesday with gunshot wounds.

His death has shocked people especially as the motive is unknown and as gun violence is not common in the southern African nation.

Police believe the director general of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was kidnapped after leaving work on Tuesday.

The IBA is responsible for licensing, standards and enforcing compliance.

When Mr Muleya failed to return home on Tuesday night, his family alerted the police and began to search for him.

His body was discovered by a member of the public as he was on his way to work, the police said.

Two bullet cartridges were also found at the scene.

“I want to assure the nation on this sad development that the people involved in this gruesome murder of the IBA director general will be brought to book,” Thabo Kawana, the top civil servant in Zambia’s information ministry, told journalists.

Mr Muleya took over at the IBA in May from a veteran journalist who had headed the authority for 10 years.

He was previously the general manager in Zambia of South African pay TV firm MultiChoice.

In a statement, IBA said it was "deeply saddened" by the death and would continue to uphold the value and vision that Mr Muleya championed during his brief tenure.

Additional reporting by Kennedy Gondwe in Lusaka.