Police yesterday justified their approach to investigation into the murder of medical doctor Victoria Bobe, insisting that investigators arrested the right suspects despite not recovering weapons used in the alleged crime.
The State’s third witness, Assistant Superintendent Christopher Pangeti said this during re-examination by State lawyer Abdul Limbe before High Court Judge Ruth Chinangwa.
The re-examination followed cross-examination last week by defence lawyers Michael Goba Chipeta and Everson Sitolo, who questioned the credibility of the State’s evidence and the manner it was obtained.
Responding to questions regarding video demonstrations conducted by the accused persons, Pangeti maintained that there was no need for an audio expert to interpret the recordings.
“Everyone was speaking and there was no need for an audio expert,” he told the court.
Last week, the defence challenged the credibility of video evidence presented by the State, questioning the circumstances it was recorded and the events before and after the demonstrations.
Chipeta also questioned whether the suspects conducted demonstrations shown in the footage under fear of further torture, an assertion Pangeti denied.
During re-examination, Pangeti admitted that the video footage tendered in court does not show the recovery of some items allegedly linked to the incident, including a firearm, a cartridge and pangas.
However, he said the audio accompanying the footage explains how the items were allegedly used, adding that the demonstrations were conducted without police using force on the suspects.
On the failure to recover the firearm allegedly used in the killing, Pangeti said investigators established through interviews and demonstrations that the weapon had been hidden in Mozambique.
He said the third accused, Rafic Abdul Hassan, a former Mozambican police officer, indicated during questioning that the firearm was in Mozambique, specifically in the Lichinga area.
Pangeti told the court that police did not attempt to recover the weapon because of security concerns in the area due to insurgence.
“Safety was the main challenge that made us not recover the rifle,” he said.
The witness further rejected suggestions that the video shown in court had been edited.
Asked about the identity of the person who fired the fatal shot, he conceded that he did not personally witness the shooting.
However, Pangeti said police investigations, caution statements and demonstrations pointed to Hassan as the one who handled the firearm.
He also said police did not carry out forensic examinations because the crime scene had already been contaminated by neighbours and sympathisers.
The court adjourned the matter to August 24 2026 for the State to continue parading witnesses, while the accused remain on remand.
Victoria Bobe was shot dead at her home in Blantyre’s Chigumula Township on the night of November 17 2025.
Seven suspects are facing charges of murder, robbery and burglary and have pleaded not guilty.
