The High Court of Malawi hearing the murder trial against suspects in medical doctor Victoria Bobe’s shooting yesterday learnt that the suspects left her residence in Blantyre with a bag of money.
Caution statements presented in court in Blantyre yesterday by sixth State witness Detective Police Inspector Cosmas Kudzala showed accounts attributed to some of the seven accused persons indicating that after Bobe was shot, they left the house with money and gadgets.
One of the accused, Charles Chikafa, is quoted in the statement as having stated that the money was in a bag and the suspects were taking their share.
He further stated that he took K1.7 million which he shared with another suspect, Maxwell Elia.
In his own statement, Elia said he went home with K800 000, while another suspect, Santos Chamaba, said he was given K100 000.
A caution statement attributed to another suspect, Rafic Abdul Hassan, also recounted his alleged role but did not mention him taking any money.
On the other hand, statements attributed to Peter Chimenya, Issa Allie and Peter Mphepo, a guard at the Bobe residence who was off duty on the day of the incident, indicated that they denied involvement in the crime.
After Kudzala tendered the caution statements, State lawyer Abdul Limbe asked him which items the suspects allegedly stole.
In response, he said: “They stole a laptop, Ipad, a point of sale machine and an unspecified amount of money suspected to belong to Bobe.”
But one of the defence lawyers, Michael Goba Chipeta, questioned Kudzala over the absence of fingerprints, DNA evidence and gunshot residue linking the accused persons to the crime.
The defence also questioned the circumstances under which the caution statements were obtained and demonstrations involving the accused persons were conducted.
Kudzala agreed that the State did not disclose fingerprint or DNA evidence and maintained that the accused persons were not forced to narrate their alleged involvement during the demonstrations.
on Tuesday. | Nation
Another defence lawyer, Everson Sitolo, also asked Kudzala over alleged communication between the suspects, with the investigator saying police obtained cellphone numbers but did not take further steps to obtain warrants for call records.
Yesterday morning, the State also paraded police photographer Eunice Mtegha and Detective Sergeant Beyard Winga.
She tendered photographs and video recordings taken when the suspects went back to the Bobe residence to demonstrate what happened on the day of the crime.
But Chipeta asked whether the suspects were adequately informed of their rights before participating in the exercise.
In response, Mtegha said she obtained verbal consent but did not obtain written consent or ensure that lawyers or a magistrate were present.
Meanwhile, presiding Judge Ruth Chinangwa adjourned the matter to today, when the State is expected to present three more witnesses.
Bobe, 33, who worked as a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital and a lecturer at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, was shot dead in her house on November 17 2025. The seven suspects have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, robbery and burglary.
