Police in Machinga are investigating a case in which a game ranger was killed by a mob which was trying to rescue a suspect who was arrested for allegedly possessing a rhino horn.
Eastern Region Police spokesperson Joseph Sauka said officers from the Parks and Wildlife Department received a tip that Robert Phiri, 26, from Wadi Village, Traditional Authority (TA) Liwonde in Machinga, was offering a rhino horn for sale.
“The officers started following the matter and teamed up with officers from Liwonde Police Station. They managed to arrest the suspect and recovered the horn,” Sauka said.
Villagers started tussling with the officers in an effort to rescue the suspect, according to Sauka.
He added that the law enforcers managed to whisk the suspect away using their vehicle not knowing that they had left an officer behind.
Upon realising that their colleague was not in the vehicle, the other officers returned to the scene where they found him unconscious after he had been heavily assaulted by the villagers.
They took him to Machinga District Hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
The deceased has been identified as Given Gondwe from Chiponde Village, TA Wenya in Chitipa.
-Times-
