Lilongwe Woman Arrested After Allegedly Burning Son with Hot Water

Police at Lingadzi Police Station in Lilongwe have arrested a 29-year-old woman for allegedly pouring hot water on her 11-year-old son, leaving him with burn injuries.

Lingadzi Police spokesperson said the suspect, identified as Wyness Chawinga, allegedly committed the offence on the night of March 10, 2026, at Mtsiriza Township in Lilongwe.

According to police, the victim, a Standard 3 pupil at Mtsiriza Primary School, had earlier gone out to play with his five-year-old younger brother after school. The two later went swimming at a dam along the Mtsiriza River and stayed away from home for several hours.

Their mother reportedly noticed their absence around 4:00 PM and started searching for them but could not locate them.

The boys only returned home around 8:00 PM, which allegedly angered their mother. Police say Chawinga scolded the child before taking a pot of hot water she had been using to prepare food and pouring it on him.

The hot water reportedly burned the boy on the neck and chest, causing him to scream in pain and attract the attention of neighbours and relatives.

The concerned neighbours rushed to the house and found the child crying with his clothes wet. When asked what had happened, the boy reportedly told them that his mother had poured hot water on him for returning home late.

Witnesses confronted the mother, who allegedly insisted that the child was her son and that she had the right to discipline him.

The neighbours and relatives then took the child to Area 18 Health Centre, where he was treated as an outpatient and later discharged.

The matter was later reported to Bingu Stadium Police Unit under Lingadzi Police Station, leading to the arrest of Chawinga.

She is expected to appear in court soon to answer a charge of unlawful wounding.