Guard Breaks Into Court Store For 36 Bags of Marijuana

A 32 year old man who worked as a watchman for Salima district court is in police hands for allegedly stealing 36 bags of Marijuana (Indian Hemp) from a court store.

Yeremia Harry aged 32 was a guard at the court till the morning of 8th May when court clerks noticed that someone broke into the storeroom and that 36 bags of Marijuana to be tendered in court were missing.

Sub Inspector Gift Chitowe a Salima Police Public Relations Officer said police considered the guard as the first suspect.

"He in the company of other unknown criminals in the night of 7th May 2015, broke into the Salima court storeroom and went away with 36 bags of Indian Hemp weighing 536 kilogram's." confirmed Chitowe

The police officer has however said the suspect is still denying to have committed the offense.

"When we were interviewing the suspect he did not accept to have committed the offense but from what we have seen, he was the one guarding the place and was entitled to safeguard whatever was there that is why we have arrested him as we are still hunting for other suspects in this matter" said Chitowe

Yeremia Harry is expected to appear in court to answer charges of breaking into a building and commit a felony therein charges says Sub Inspector Chitowe

The suspect hails from Mfuti village of T/A Kalinga in Salima district.

Girl, 7 Dies in a Home Fire as Man, 25 Commit Suicide After Assaulting Wife in Salima

• Police establish the cause of the fire as a candle left unattended

A little girl, aged 7 got killed in Salima district after her grass thatched home caught on fire late hours of Wednesday, her mom is going to answer charges of conduct likely to cause breach of peace says Police.

Police Public Relations Officer for the district Sergeant Gift Chitowe says the deceased Diana Francis got burnt in her grass shelter located in Kantchetche fishing beach along Lake Malawi whilst a sleep and her body was burnt to almost ashes.

Police says the mother of the daughter is to blame for having left a candle burning as she went for a beer drinking at around 22:00 hours.

The Officer said it was people passing by the house who noticed the house engulfed in flames. 

“Our Investigations reveal that a 24 year old Felista Kumakange’s the mother of the deceased was left her daughter at 22: 30 hours of 18th March to a nearby drinking spree, leaving behind a flickering candle. Suddenly she heard a call from passers-by that her shelter has caught fire” said the Salima Police PRO, “She called for help to cease the fire but to no avail.” 

Sgt Chitowe said post mortem result has revealed that death of the young girl was due to severe burns. 

The officer said the death of little girl ‘Diana’ a Standard 1 pupil of Kachulu primary school in the area of T/A Kuluunda in Salima district was a result of her mother’s negligence. 

The mother of the girl was handed to police by Community Policing members after police had instructed that she had to be given chance to attend her daughter’s funeral ceremony.

In the same district, a 25 year old wife attacker has committed suicide to escape arrest.

• He beaten wife and Hacked her near to death

Sergeant Chitowe said Ibrahim Salimu has died after taking poisonous stuff on 18th March 2015 at Chikwawa Trading Centre.

“The deceased had altercation with his wife on family matters and failed to reach to the compromise. He then took a panga knife” said Sgt Chitowe, “He began hacking his wife, cutting her twice in the head, and another deep cut on the shoulder until she fainted”

The officer said it was at this point the husband thought her wife is dead “In the course of escaping an arrest late Salimu left home to a nearby garden field where he was found dead by some women returning from their garden field. The postmortem has revealed that he consumed poisonous stuff.” 

The injured widow is admitted at Salima hospital and the officer says health officials have confirmed that her health is improving.

The deceased man, Ibrahim Salimu hailed from Kasache village of T/A Makanjira in Salima district.

Salima Police Confiscate 27 Bags of Indian Hemp

Salima Police Confiscate 27 Bags of Indian Hemp

A 28 year old man is in police custody in Salima district for being found with 27 bags of Indian hemp.

 Salima Police Public Relations Officer Sergeant Gift Chitowe said the suspect Calvin Malisani was found in possession of the prohibited product in the minibus he was traveling in on Thursday from Nkhotakota district to Salima district.

Sgt Chitowa said police arrested the man at Kuti turnoff along Salima Lilongwe road following a tip from members of general public that the suspect was on his way while in possession of Indian hemp. He said all 27 bags weigh 50 kilograms each.

Calvin Malisani Mphonde hails from Chikunichowola village of T/A Mphonde in Nkhotakota district and will appear in court soon to answer charges of found in possession of Indian Hemp.

Woman Arrested for Attempt to Sell Daughter

Woman Arrested for Attempt to Sell Daughter 

A 23 year old mother earning a living through prostitution is expected to appear before Salima First Grade Magistrate Court for allegedly attempting to sell her biological daughter Salima police has confirmed.

Sergeant Gift Chitowe Salima Police Public Relations Officer says the suspect Miriam Kapindira was arrested by Salima police as she attempted to sell her 3 year old daughter to an unknown business lady from Lilongwe.

Chitowe said police on 15^th January received a tipoff that the suspect had a tryst at Kamuzu road trading centre with an unknown business lady from Lilongwe making negotiations on the illegal business.

But when police arrived at the scene they only found the suspect pocketing cash amounting to K100, 000, half of agreed payment of K200, 000. And the unknown business lady managed to escape arrest.

However, Sgt Chitowe said the woman currently in police custody still denies that she wanted to sell her daughter but wants her friend (unknown business lady) to raise the child. The suspect also told police that the money received from her friend was just a token of appreciation for being trusted as a right person to raise the child.

“According to our investigations we are convinced that this woman wanted to sell her daughter. Her explanation that the money received from her friend was only a token of appreciation, is not truthful, such cannot happen.” Said Chitowe

Sergeant Chitowe said the woman has already been charged with conduct likely to cause breach of peace.

Miriam Kapindira comes from Maplot area in T/A Maganda in Salima district and may appear before Salima First Grade Magistrate Court starting on Monday 19^th January 2014.

Three Die In Salima Gemstone Mine When the Upper Cavity Collapsed

A 2 year old girl was killed together with two miners but her mother survived from the accident

A two year old girl and two men aged 24 and 25 were killed on a Christmas day when upper cavity of a tunnel they were in, searching precious stones collapsed and fell on them.

The tragic accident that took place at Sadzu village along Lilongwe river bank in Salima District has also left the mother of the girl and another man in serious injuries and are currently admitted at Salima District hospital.

Salima Police Public Relations Officer Sergeant Gift Chitowe confirmed that the three died in a 2 metre deep hole and mom of the girl and a man, survived with serious injuries.

He said the little girl was just following her mom and miners digging closer to the collapsed hole carried rescue operation but found the three already dead.

“These people stay at Sadzu village and they went to a mining area located in the same village. They were all in the same hole mining gemstones and suddenly the upper cavity of the tunnel collapsed and fell on them.”

Police have identified the deceased as Adams Mwale aged 24 from Mpaliro village of T/A Chatoloma in Kasungu, Juston Bajesi aged 25 of Sangwa village T/A Khombeza in Salima and a 2 year old girl Linda Jakamusi whose mother Susan Chimbalanga from Katole village T/A Khombedza survived the accident together with Mbuli John aged 21 from Mwamadi village T/A Kambwiri Salima.

Sergeant Chitowe says the mining activities that have just emerged in the area for the past two months by people from the districts of Dedza, Lilongwe, Dowa, and Nkhotakota are extracting red and white Galanite gemstones. He said such activities are being done without license and protective materials like proper mining clothing. He also said the owners of the collapsed mine had no license too.

“As Police we are advising members of the general public to take proper measures whenever they are mining in order to prevent these incidences in future. They need to follow the right channels whenever they are doing this job” he advised, he added “They must realize that it is dangerous to do mining, they need to have protective wears and must follow right procedures from relevant authorities and get registered with government.”

Currently Malawi government is in the process of formalizing the mining subsector Artisanal and Small Scale Miners (ASM) by registering everyone involved in these activities in order to end numerous challenges the subsector is facing. The subsector is not well regulated, has no proper markets and access to financial support and equipments for their job is difficult

Through the recent ASM Policy Consultation Symposium urged all miners to get registered and both government and private sector were challenged to provide necessary support to ASM in areas of financial literacy and access to loans, necessary tools and access to markets.

Over 20 Thousand people in the country are employed in Artisanal and Small Scale Mining activities and proper formalization of the subsector by putting proper regulations and monitoring of such activities will not only increase 10% the mining sector contributes to the Malawi GDP or provide better markets for ASM but will also help to provide necessary resources that may help the miners to carry out their mining activities in a safe environment.

This year similar incident occurred in Dowa district where three women suffocated to death and one was left with sustained serious injuries when an upper cavity of a tunnel they were in to extract clay soil collapsed and fell on them on 23^rd April. The incident took place at Bimphi village T/A Chiwere where four women were inside the tunnel extracting clay soil which they wanted to use in smearing their houses for decoration.

Salima, Kasungu Police In Joint Search For Kidnapper

The Farm Estate Owner Enticed the Boy To Work At His Farm Together With A Man He Knew

Unknown estate owner in Kasungu kidnaps a 15 year old Chinsinsi Benson in Salima district.

Police in Salima district are hunting for the unidentified man when parents of the boy reported of his missing at Salima Police station.

Sergeant Gift Chitowe Public Relations Officer for Salima district said the kidnapper also took with the boy a man being identified as Malindi after the two were enticed to work as tenants at his estate in Kasungu district.

“Currently the man is not known but the man arrived at Chimbalanga village which is in T/A Kambwiri in Salima district. He coaxed Mr. Malindi who is an older man and the boy Chisomo Benson to employ them and work in his farm in Kasungu. But the issue is that the man did not consult the parents of the boy hence the reporting of the matter to police.” explained Sgt Chitowe

Killer hacked Private Parts and Cut Open Victims Stomach in Salima District

Villagers at Steven Village T/A Karonga in Salima district were early hours of 16th December shocked when they discovered in their drinking water Well, floating unidentified man.

According to Police Public Relations Officer for Salima district Sergeant Gift Chitowe police suppose the dead man to be in 40’s.

The corpse was discovered inside a drinking water Well when villagers noticed some spots of blood leading into it, indicated the officer. Sgt. Chitowe said when the body was removed from the well, they found him had private parts hacked and his stomach wide open through a cut.