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ROBBERS HIT VP’S RESIDENCE

The entrance to the VP’s Mudi House official residence
The entrance to the VP’s Mudi House official residence

In what could best be described as an episode in a Hollywood movie, three daring thieves on Monday morning beat the security system and broke into Mudi House, the official residence of Vice-President Saulos Chilima in Blantyre.

The incident is one of the high-level and daring attempts in recent months to rob highly protected places.

Two months ago, three police officers were arrested in connection with burglary at former president the late Bingu wa Mutharika’s Casablanca Manor residence at his private Ndata Farm in Thyolo.

And just last week, armed robbers successfully raided Standard Bank in Mzuzu where they went away with K543 million (US$1 317 961) before police intercepted them at Jenda Roadblock in Mzimba and managed to recover about K480 million (US$1 165 049) but the suspects are still at large.

While police were elusive to confirm the incident in an interview yesterday as they referred this reporter from one officer to the other, The Nation established that the three buglers gained access to the Vice-President’s official residence by climbing the brick fence in the back yard at around 2am.

They were spotted by security guards of the Vice-President’s neighbour who managed to apprehend one of them. They handed over the suspect to police officers on duty while the other two escaped and are still at large.

The suspect has been identified as Charles Kazuma aged 35 from Ekaiweni Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mtwalo in Mzimba District.

Press officer for the Vice-President, Pilirani Phiri, confirmed the incident in an interview yesterday saying the suspect is a former employee at Mudi House.

“Yes it is true. The man is a former employee of Mudi Residence. He was apprehended and handed over to the police and he didn’t get away with anything,” explained Phiri.

He said Kazuma appeared before Blantyre Magistrate’s Court in the  afternoon where he was found guilty of breaking into a building and committing a felony and was convicted and sentenced to six years imprisonment with hard labour.

The security guards who arrested the suspect have been identified as Lovemore Mkamalisya, William Mphepo and Mphatso Madeya. All of them work at Mandala Flats.

Mkamalisya said in an interview the suspects  managed to open a window in one of the rooms where they reportedly took a number of beer bottles and wines. He was also caught with a red knife with a government emblem.

“We found the window open with a number of beer bottles and empty cartons which we believe had some items which his two colleagues took away.

“We are pleading with the Vice-President to consider us for the job we did the way the President directed the Inspector General of Police to promote the two police officers who managed to recover the stolen money in Mzuzu,” said one of the guards.

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2 Comments

  1. There is nothing extraordinary to what the Police Officers have done. Why should they ask for VP favors when they have only done(if at all) what they were employed for? In fact, the robbers should not have got inside.

    1. It’s not the police officers asking for favours. Read again. It’s the guards who apprehended the suspect.

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