Two men arrested over illegal possession of ivory tusks and teeth

Police in Malawi’s administrative capital have arrested two people after they were separately found with four elephant tusks and three pieces of ivory teeth.

The suspects have been identified as Bazillio Chipata, 31, and 44 year-old Petulo Chisale and they are still in Police custody.

Accoridng to police, Chisale hails from Chikolwe village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mkanda in Mchinji district while Chipata comes from Mwabwera village, T/A Kabudula in Lilongwe district.

Chisale was apprehended on Monday at Kafoteka filling station while Chipata was arrested on Wednesday at Shoprite car park in the city.

Lilongwe Police publicist Kingsley  Dandaula said the law enforcers acted on a tip from the general public.

He explained that Chisale concealed the the ivory tusks in a black traveling back containing unshelled groundnuts.

“Inside the groundnuts was a bag in which he hid the four ivory tusks.

“In a similar mission, police acted on a tip that Chipata was in possession of ivory teeth. Upon following up on the information, we found the suspect at Shoprite car park with a black plastic bag containing the ivory teeth,” he said.

In another development, law enforcers in Kasungu arrested 47 year-old Patrick Phiri for being found with three bags of Indian hemp weighing 50 kgs each.

He was arrested at Chisazima roadblock along the Lilongwe-Kasungu-Mzimba M1 stretch and the bags were found in a vehicle he was traveling in.

Phiri, who hails from Sauya village, Traditional Authority Nankumba in Mangochi district, will appear before court soon to answer the charge of found in possesion of Indian Hemp.

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