Police officers arrested over missing gun and bullets

Police in Karonga have arrested three of their officers for failing to account for a gun and 13 live bullets at Kaporo Police Unit.

Karonga Police Station spokesperson Enock Livason identified the three as sergeants Macheso, Paloti and Chikoti.

He said they were working in shifts and the gun, K2C and ammunition, were supposed to be part of the handovers when one knocked off.

Livason said the officer who was on duty on Thursday morning, Sergeant Maleta, discovered that the gun was not in the office. Maleta took over from Paloti.

“The missing gun raised suspicion and investigations were launched to trace the gun and the bullets. This raised some suspicion and, as a result, shift activities were followed.

“There were some discrepancies when the officers were handing over the gun and ammunition. This resulted in the arrest of the three officers,” said Livason.

He, however, said investigations are still underway, adding that the police have not recorded any armed robbery case in the district since the rifle went missing.

“All the three have been arrested and are in custody. This is the first time we have recorded such an incident. Investigations are underway to trace the gun and we hope that by the end of investigations, something will crop up,” he said.

It has now become a trend to have police officers arrested or involved in crime, including armed robberies that have claimed lives.

A number of police officers are answering robbery charges. n