A certain herbalist in Mangochi Monkey bay could be among the first person to face life imprisonment sentence for defiling a 16-year-old girl.
Some few days ago, President Lazarus Chakwera signed into a law which increased punishment for defilers from 14 years to life imprisonment.
Spokesperson for Monkey Bay Police Alice Sichali has identified the herbalist as Tchafu Yusuf. Police arrested Yusuf on Tuesday 28 February evening.
Sichali said that early this year, the herbalist approached parents of the victim, claiming that he had identified a problem in the womb of their daughter that needs to be treated by him.
“The mother started escorting the victim to the herbalist to receive medication but later she was stopped by the herbalist so that the victim should be going alone”, said Sichali.
And when the victim went alone for medication, the suspect allegedly defiled her and threatened her not to reveal to anybody.
Sichali added that the victim reported the matter to her parents a month after noticing that she had missed her menstruation periods.
The matter was reported to police after medical personnel confirmed that the victim was one month pregnant.
The herbalist will soon appear before court to answer charges of defiling and impregnating a 16 year-old girl.
Tchafu Yusuf is 27 years-old and he comes from Kalonga Village, Traditional Authority Mponda, in Mangochi District.
