Police, People Fight Over Suspects

A group of over five hundred people from Namuyemba Community, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mwaulambia accompanied by their village head, marched to Chitipa police station yesterday to force them to surrender two men in their custody suspected of killing a security guard.

Patson Msukwa, 51, was killed while on duty at Makas Trading Centre on Saturday.

The angry people carried metal objects such as axes and pangas.

Reports reaching Face of Malawi  indicate that two unidentified men gave themselves to police after the community warned of unspecified action against those who had a hand in the killing of the guard.

Things turned to worse when Chitipa Police Station officer in-charge Aubrey Kawale tried to reason with the group to go back to their respective homes.

But the group rushed forward, trying to attack him.

Then, the officers fired tear gas to disperse the angry people who insisted they were not going home without the suspects.

Chitipa Police Station spokesperson Gladwell Simwaka said the two suspects did not surrender themselves to police, but they were arrested following police investigations.

“We cannot release the suspects for their own security,” he said.