Hospitalized woman robbed: Fugitive jailed after two-year hunt

The First Grade Magistrate Court in Chiradzulu has slapped 24-year-old Fredson Manyamba with a four-year jail term for breaking into the house of a woman while she was admitted to a hospital.

The court, presided over by First Grade Magistrate Smart Maruwasa, heard that Manyamba committed the crime in March 2024. He targeted the home of Mrs. Lekeleni Chitsime, who was away receiving medical treatment at the time, and made off with cash and assorted property valued at K2 million.

State Prosecutor Stracious Misoya told the court that the convict had been playing a game of cat-and-mouse with the law for nearly two years. Manyamba went into hiding immediately after the heist and was only apprehended in January 2026.

When he finally appeared in the dock, Manyamba pleaded guilty to the charges of burglary and theft. Despite his plea for leniency, the court took a dim view of his actions, noting the heartless timing of the robbery.

In his ruling, Magistrate Maruwasa sentenced the 24-year-old to four years imprisonment for burglary and six months for theft. The sentences will run concurrently, meaning Manyamba will serve a total of four years in prison.

The conviction brings to an end a long-standing case that had left the Chiradzulu community shocked by the suspect’s audacity to rob a hospitalized neighbor.