3 in for illegal entry

Lingadzi Police has arrested three Pakistanis in Area 49 in Lilongwe for allegedly breaking immigration rules.

Lingadzi Police Station spokesperson Salome Chibwana said they arrested the three after they were tipped-off that the house was a coronavirus quarantine centre.

She said: “We received a tip off from the public in Area 49 New Gulliver that there were more than 15 Pakistanis staying in one house and people thought that they used the house as a quarantine centre for coronavirus, so they were worried about their health. That is why they called the police.”

According to Chibwana, police rushed to the scene only to find three Pakistanis who they arrested and took to hospital for coronavirus tests that came out negative.

She said police are keeping the foreign nationals for illegal immigration.

“The virus is not with them but we are keeping them for illegal immigration. I cannot disclose their names as investigations are still underway on what they came to Malawi,” added Chibwana.

She said police only arrested three men and are still searching for the others who run away.

In November 2018, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in conjunction with Malawi Police Service arrested 20 Pakistanis and their agents for attempting to enter the country using illegally obtained visas.

ACB senior public relations officer Egrita Ndala said at the time the arrest was part of a probe the ACB launched into allegations of connivance among public officers in allowing foreigners to use the country as a transit route to other southern African countries.