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Police dismiss ‘bloodsuckers’ reports

The Malawi Police Service (MPS) has dismissed reports about the presence of human bloodsuckers in Phalombe and Mulanje districts.

For the past two weeks, there have been reports of ‘bloodsuckers’ in the two districts, a development that is forcing some people to sleep outside their houses at night.

Kadadzera: It is a hoax

The police statement comes barely two days after law enforcers in Phalombe rescued National Registration Bureau (NRB) officers taking part in the mass national identity card (ID) registration exercise. The registration staff claimed that they were attacked by some community members on suspicion that they were part of an alleged ‘bloodsuckers’ syndicate.

One officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were living in fear following the attacks.

However, Phalombe Police Station spokesperson Augustus Nkhwazi denied that the officers were attacked, saying by the time police officers reached the camp, there were no signs of any attack.

“We received a report on Monday around 8 o’clock in the evening from one of the camps at Chilayeni Primary School, which is in the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Mkhumba, that officers from that particular camp were fearing for their lives as the community members suspected them of being part of an alleged bloodsuckers and we moved in to rescue them.

“Currently, we are [warning] the people against taking the law in their hands as this is bad for the country.”

Nkhwazi also said they moved the registration officers to their station where they had been from Monday night until yesterday when NRB officials relocated them.

The myth about bloodsuckers in the district comes barely a week after three people were burned alive in Mulanje at Milonde in T/A Mabuka on suspicion that they were bloodsuckers.

Meanwhile, Community of Saint’Egidio has condemned the killings of the three, describing the act as barbaric and a conduct that signifies lack of respect for human life.

Reads the statement in part: “We, while commending the Malawi Police Service for denouncing the rumour of human blood sucking, strongly demand the law enforcers to ensure that speedy justice takes its course. Further, it is our call to all Malawians to re-examine our approach to the most vulnerable people [suspects].”

MPS national spokesperson James Kadadzera in an earlier statement described the bloodsucking rumours as a hoax.

He said: “The Malawi Police Service condemns in strongest terms possible the uncivilised behaviour by some unpatriotic Malawians who are fabricating these malicious rumours which are negatively affecting innocent individuals who are either wounded or have their houses demolished.”

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