Prison sacks 16 wayward warders
The Malawi Prisons Service (MPS) has for the past three years dismissed 16 warders for allegedly scheming with inmates to steal people’s money through digital money transfer platforms.
In an interview with Nation on Sunday, Prisons Assistant Commissioner responsible for operations and legal affairs Bazirial Chapuwala said the warders were dismissed after investigations revealed they were smuggling mobile phones into prisons so that prisoners could use them to steal the money.
He said most cases were reported at Zomba Central Prison, seconded by Blantyre Prison while other prisons had isolated cases.
“The cyber fraud perpetrated by prisoners on unsuspecting members of the general public is now under control as there is a downward spiral of cases being registered,” said Chapuwala.
He hoped the cyber crime in prisons would soon be history when they start using body scanners that have been procured and are being installed in prisons.
Meanwhile, a 26-year-old woman identified as Beatrice Kasakala has been arrested for trying to smuggle mobile phones into Zomba Central Prison.
Chapuwala said Kasakala took the phones to an inmate who proposed love to her on phone purportedly to help him smuggle phones into the prison.
He said the woman first came to the prison with some yellow buns and on her second visit she brought a loaf and a half loaf of bread, thus arousing the warder’s suspicions.
“The warder then squashed the loaf and discovered that she had inserted a brand new Itel 2163 cell phone and a charger in the half bread.
“She was later further interrogated on her earlier visit and it was established that she also brought another phone hidden in a yellow bun,” explained Chapuwala.
While commending the warder for his sound judgement to detect the smuggling, Chapuwala said it was worrisome that more women were being trapped in this vice.
He observed that the phone smuggling trend was growing among women while the inmates are striving to beat the system “taking cognisance that some women wear wrappers over their bodies which are not strictly searched at the gates.”
“While not being prejudicial to one gender, we are concerned that there is a growing tendency by some women in Zomba who are aiding prisoners to operate their criminal enterprise at the expense of these women’s freedom,” he lamented.
Chapuwala said Kasakala was likely to be charged with contravention of Section 81 (a) of Prisons Act (Cap 9:02) of Laws of Malawi which states, “any person who attempts, or brings into prison by any means whatsoever, to any prisoner any article whatsoever shall be liable to a fine of £25 and to imprisonment for six months.”
Early last year, an operation carried out at Zomba Central Prison resulted in confiscation of about 450 mobile phones.
This came out after Malawi Inspectorate of Prison chairperson Justice Ken Manda made a presentation to the Legal Affairs Committee of Parliament on the status of the country’s prisons
