Two people arrested for exhuming human bones in Machinga

Police in Machinga have arrested Fainos Walusa aged 18 and Sime Dyman 70 for allegedly exhuming a human body from a grave which contained remains of a woman, Chiuja Kenneth who died after committing suicide in 2006.

Police have confirmed the arrest of the two suspects, a man and a woman for trespassing and tempering with a grave contrary to Section 129 of the Penal Code, according to Machinga Police Public Relations Officer, Constable Davie Sulumba.

The police have recovered ten pieces of bones that include legs and arm bones after Walusa reported the matter to traditional leaders who later referred the matter to Ngokwe police this week.

Dyman who is about 70 years old led Walusa and three others who are currently at large to a grave yard where Kenneth was laid to rest ten years ago, according to Machinga police.

She however denied any involvement in the exhuming of the remains of Chiuja Kenneth in an interview with Malawi News Agency Wednesday while under police custody.

“How can I exhume a grave of my own sister?” Dyman said adding that it was her son Jack Mtemula who took part in the exhuming of the remains of Kenneth.

“I wonder why the police are keeping me instead of looking for my son,” she added.

On his part Walusa said he was tricked by the three men because he was only asked to help them with a piece of work which the three men did not disclose.

“I later discovered that the piece of work was actually about exhuming a grave, I denied the work because it was too big for me,” Walusa said adding that the three men later told me to hold a torch for them to do the exhuming properly.

The exhuming only took about 20 minutes in the night, according to Walusa who added that the three men emphasized that they wanted remains of a person who died due to suicide.

Later Mtemula handed over the bones to Mathias Mandevu for further transactions which were said to be worthy K2 million Walusa said.

Kenneth died committing suicide by poisoning in Nyandule village at Traditional Authority Ngokwe in the district.mana