Police intercept 76 illegal immigrants

Police in Chitipa on Friday night intercepted a 30-tonne truck  carrying 76 Ethiopians to Lilongwe.

A police report says a team of four officers led by Patrick Kapanga intercepted the truck registration CZ 9150 in Guya Village, Traditional Authority Nthalire in the district.

In an interview, Chitipa Police Station officer-in-charge Phillip Dinala said the officers arrested the Ethiopians for allegedly entering the country illegally.

“The immigrants are in police custody while the truck has been detained as officers are searching for the driver,” he said.

In a separate interview, Minister of Homeland Security Richard Chimwendo Banda commended well-wishers in border districts who inform the police about illegal immigrants.

He said: “A recent rise in interception of illegal immigrants who use uncharted routes to South Africa via Malawi is a result of a cordial working relationship among the police, Immigration Department and the community.

“We will maintain that to ensure that the country’s security remains tight and that we eradicate human trafficking.”