An angry mob in Balaka killed two suspected thieves after they stole a bag of maize and a goat from a 76-year-old woman and later killed her in the process.
The incident happened during the night of September 25 to September 26, 2024, at Namikombe Village in Traditional Authority Chanthunya in Balaka District.
The woman has been identified as Esnart Pius, while the two suspected thieves who have been burnt to ashes by an angry mob have been identified as Blessings Mbandambanda, aged 33, and Coaster John, aged 21, who are well-known criminals around the Namikonde Area.
The police report indicates that the woman, Esnart Pius, was staying alone in her house where she was keeping a goat and bags of maize.
The goat was being kept in her bedroom while the maize was being kept in the sitting room where she also used to sleep.
During the night of September 25 to September 26, 2024, Coaster John, who is Esnart Pius’s grandson (now deceased) and his accomplice Blessings Mbandambanda, broke into the house of Esnart Pius where they killed her before stealing a bag of maize and a goat.
Later, they hid the goat in a nearby church while already slaughtered.
While on the way, they met Charles Mbilanje of Muwoza Village, who was coming from a beer-drinking spree and saw the suspects carrying a bag of maize on the bicycle.
Mbilanje tried to stop the suspects to find out where they were coming from during an old hour. When the suspects heard his voice, they started running away and later dropped a bag of maize.
Then Mbilanje shouted for help and some villagers woke up and chased the suspects.
The suspects were chased at a distance of about one and a half kilometres and were arrested by the community members who assaulted, stabbed and burnt both of them.
The matter was reported to police, who visited the scene where they found the two criminals lying dead whilst burnt, and both deceased sustained deep cut wounds.
Postmortem was conducted at Kankao Health Centre where the two, Coaster John and Blessings Mbandambanda died due to severe burns secondary to deep cut wounds while an old woman, Esnart Pius, died due to suffocation secondary to strangulation.
Meanwhile, no arrests have been made as investigations are in progress.
Coaster John hailed from Namikombe Village in Traditional Authority Chamthunya, Blessings Mbandambanda hailed from Namondwe Village in Traditional Authority4 Nsamala, while an old woman, Esnart Pius, hailed from Namikombe Village in Traditional Authority Chamthunya, all from Balaka District.
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