Police bust suspected crime syndicate in Mchinji
Police in Mchinji have busted a suspected crime syndicate of men and women alleged to have committed a series of violent crimes.
Mchinji Police Station spokesperson Kaitano Lubrino said the crew include a woman, Sarah John, 26, who, together with Christopher Thomas Banda, 28, allegedly assaulted to death a kabaza motor cyclist.
Lubrino said the other suspects are two women—Lefani Kachitete, 27, and Ahmadu Yusufu, 41—and two men Gerald Chimgwede, 27, and James Phiri, 37.
He said the police have since recovered laptop computers, cellphones, a motorbike, bicycles and a solar battery, among other items.
“The suspects were arrested in separate operations after one of the prime suspects was netted in the just-ended sweeping exercises, and they include a woman [Sarah John] who was being used to entice victims to fall into the trap of these men,” said Lubrino in an interview on Wednesday.
Two of the victims—Telefina Namanya, a business lady who was attacked on July 17 at Robert 5 within Mchinji Boma, and Daniel Kamwaza who was attacked on July 21 at Baziliyo Village in Traditional Authority (T/A) Zulu in the district—have since identified some of their property which was stolen.
Kamwaza, an inspector at the Malawi Bureau of Standards Mchinji Branch, was tied and hacked with pangas before he was robbed of goods worth K658 000.
Lubrino further said the suspects have admitted breaking into Namanya’s house using stones and stealing property worth over K900 000.
“All the suspects have confessed carrying out the crimes and they voluntarily demonstrated to police how they committed the offences,” said Lubrino. n
