Airtel Malawi’s sales-men stage robbery, arrested

The three identified as Kondwani Kasinja, 26, Mayamiko Chimutha, 21, and Yamikani Banda, 22.

The three plus another suspect still at large staged the robbery on Wednesday last week, and went away with the money before Kasinja revealed that the robbery was a fake, police say.

“Last week on Wednesday we received a call from a Local Airtel distributor that his cashier (Kondwani Kasinja) was missing with K3million … “Soon after as we (Police) were getting organized to start following the matter a report came that Kasinja was found unconscious in a bush at nearby village.

“We quickly moved to Samaiwa village where we found Kasinja, unconscious with syringe injected on his arm. We took him to the hospital where he was treated quickly.

“Apart from the injection he had no bruises or any other sign that he had been attacked,” said Salima Police Publicist Gift Chitowe, on Monday,

Chitowe said that the medical personnel from the district hospital identified the drug that was injected into the suspect as sleep-inducing drug (valium).

The police publicist further said that throughout the early stages of the investigation the matter was treated as an outside job until when the first suspect revealed that it was an inside job.

“When the first suspect was discharged from the hospital we quizzed him to explain the circumstance leading to the loss of the money, he quickly told the story and named his accomplices,” said Chitowe.

The police then moved in and arrested the second suspect Yamikani Banda and upon searching Banda’s house for the stolen money, they found K1.5 million.

“Banda told us that he was only called by the other suspects and handed over the money with instructions to hand it over to the first suspect,” said Chitowe.

Chitowe further said that the third suspect was apprehended in Blantyre at the immigration offices where he was seeking an emergency passport and he was found with K85, 000.

The fourth suspect remains at large and the remainder of the money is yet to be recovered.

Kasinja comes from Kam’mwamba Village, T/A Thambala Ntheu District, Chimutha is from Mphemvu Village T/A Khombedza Salima while Banda is from Chimutha Village, T/A Kaperula Kasunghu District.

The three are expected to appear in court this week to start answering charges of theft.