Police in Mponela are looking for the suspect (s) who have brutally murdered a 72-year-old woman Jestina Phiri, who hailed from Kasekela Village, Traditional Authority Dzoole in Dowa District.

According to Deputy Public Relations Officer for Mponela Police Station Constable Tusaghiwe Mwanjoka, the incident occurred on February 5th, 2025 around 13:00 hours at Kasekela Village.

“According to information gathered by Mponela Police, it is reported that at around 08:00 hours, the deceased left her house to the maize field and did not return home and she was found lying lifeless in between ridges in her garden by her daughter after a follow up,” Mwanjoka said.

After viewing the body in the presence of her relatives after they reported the matter to Mponela Police who visited the scene with a medical personnel from Mponela Rural Hospital, it was discovered that Phiri had a wrapper tied tightly around her neck by the assailant.

Postmortem revealed that death was due to suffocation secondary to strangulation with marks of violence were also observed all over her upper part of the body.