19-Year-Old Arrested in Lilongwe Over Death of Woman During Church Deliverance Ritual

Police in Lilongwe have arrested a 19-year-old man for the murder of a 62-year-old woman following a church “deliverance” ritual that involved whipping.

The incident has occurred at Zamkutu Zion Church.

Hastings Chigalu Lilongwe Police spokesperson has said preliminary investigations indicate the suspect, Yohane Mphatso, severely whipped congregant Alena Banda with a wooden stick during the session.

In a statement Chigalu has indicated that, in the process, Banda collapsed and was pronounced dead upon arrival at Kamuzu Central Hospital.

Meanwhile, a postmortem has confirmed that she has died from trauma shock and cardiac arrest caused by the assault.

Chigalu has since revealed that the police have recovered the weapons that were used and that Mphatso is set to answer a murder charge.