Woman raped, burnt to death in Blantyre

A body of a woman believed to have been burnt to death has been discovered this morning near Blantyre secondary school in the commercial city, police confirm.

Police say the woman was murdered at a nearby forest and her body was dumped at the school campus.

The identity of the deceased is not yet known, and police have since appealed to all residents missing their relatives to report to their stations.

“A woman’s body was found in one of the school’s classrooms, naked. It had blisters and her breasts have been burnt but all the parts are intact,” said Southern Region Police Publicist Nicolus Gondwa.

Earlier witness accounts said that smoke was still billowing from the naked body whose hands were tied together.

It is also widely believed that the woman was raped before she was set alight by her assailants as used condoms were seen scattered around where the corpse was.

Meanwhile, her body has been taken to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital mortuary, for post-mortem.

This comes just a day after police authorities assured Malawians of enhanced safety of people and property following growing public concern on the breaking down of security.

Escalating criminal activities such as armed robberies, burglary, murders and house breakings have been making headlines in recent months.

This even forced some members of the public to call for the re-introduction of the shoot to kill policy which was abandoned after the death of former President Mutharika.

The authorities however, blamed the recent deterioration of security in the country on DPP cadets who he claimed were issued with guns to discredit President Banda’s administration.