Malawi police arrest criminals in K11m heist:  Stolen cash recovered in 90-minutes manhunt

Malawi Police in Mchinji have arrested three suspects who stole K11 million from a taxi.

The robbers

The cops in Mchinji are patting themselves in the back for recovering the money in just 90 minutes after the heist.

According to Central West Region Public Relations Officers Alfred Chimthere, the police intercepted the three suspected criminals who attempted to cruise away with the loot from Mchinji boma to an unspecified destination.

Chimthere said the theft incident happened on Tuesday morning at around 10:00 hours and by 11:30 hours, the stolen cash was recovered, culminating in an arrest of two Tanzanians and one Malawian, in the process.

Chimthere said the suspects holding Tanzanian passports have been identified as Sultan Angolile Mwambete (52), passport number TAE273003 and Joshua Singiombo Kibale (57), passport number TAE101941.

They both hail from Rungwe village, Traditional Authority Mwakuysa in Mbeya district, Tanzania.

The immigration stamp in their passports show that they entered Malawi on October 28, 2020, through Songwe border post in Karonga.

The Malawian, identified as Richard Jack (38) hails from Mmanga village, Traditional Authority Msamala, in Balaka district.

Chimthere added that the complainant is a taxi driver Brian Phiri, who was sent by his boss to deposit the cash at one of the banks at the boma.

On his way to the bank, the police spokesperson said, the taxi driver offered a lift to the two Tanzanians who also disembarked at the bank premises allegedly to buy United States dollars (USD).

However, network hitches inside the banking hall forced them to consider visiting another bank for the transaction, he said.

He said Phiri then stopped at a nearby pharmacy store to buy medicine and locked the car, leaving behind the laptop bag which contained the money.

The taxi driver told the police that upon his return from the shop, he found the car door open and the bag had disappeared.

Onlookers at the scene confided to him that two people, whom they thought were his friends, came on a blue Mazda Demio and sped off carrying his bag.

Phiri rushed to Mchinji Police station to report the matter.

Police promptly launched a manhunt and wired intelligence to possible exit points of Kamwendo, Kapiri and Mkanda, including the road to the Zambian border, Chimthere said.

He said at exactly 11:30 hours, the four Police traffic officers who had erected a checkpoint at Kapiri, intercepted the marked Demio, registration number MHG 4909, being driven by Jack who claimed that he was hired by the two Tanzanians.

He said they were immediately arrested on the spot and the MK11 million cash has been recovered in its entirety.

The three suspects will appear in Court to answer a case of theft, he said.

The two-hour manhunt operation that started at Mchinji boma ended on a high note at Kapiri, along the Mchinji – Santhe road.

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Kamuzu Mbewe
Kamuzu Mbewe
3 years ago

Kkkkkk, caught within 90 minutes?

Me, I and myself
Me, I and myself
3 years ago

koma driver ameneyu was he not part of the criminals,munthu wanyamula ndalama zonsezo angamatenge malift munsewu instead of going straight to the bank,then stopping at a pharmancy to buy medicine leaving the money in car zoona?can’t he buy the medicine after depositing the money.Something went wrong here, if he is not part to this then he is stupid.Komanso abwanawo how can he allow a driver to go to the bank ndi ndalama zonsezo without police escort.

Henele Gopani
Henele Gopani
3 years ago

Kape uja kumutumiza komwe wapalamula kutenga zaka, izi mawa timva sentence

CHIMWEMWE DINGISWAYO SOKO
CHIMWEMWE DINGISWAYO SOKO
3 years ago

offering someone a lift uli ndi ndalama zosezo chibwana chake choopsatu

Wakwao
Wakwao
3 years ago

the driver should be taken to task as well. And for the police, well you have shown you can do things professionally. and the Mazda driver no mercy, he knew what he was doing otherwise he could have taken them to the nearest police station.

Melvin
Melvin
3 years ago

Wow!

What a perfect title for a crime bursting movie….90 minutes in Mchinji.

Congratulations to our men and women in uniform.

The Karanga of Soshangumve

Stupid driver, how do you give a lift to strangers knowing that you’re carrying K K11 million, that’s a big risk, you’re lucky the money was recovered, otherwise you were going to jail. Kudos to our police

Scooby
Scooby
3 years ago

He is part of the heist. Chickened out

George Malemu
George Malemu
3 years ago

Let the police officers be honoured in one way or the other otherwise some officers could have ended in saying we recovered 3 million as the other amount had been squandered already whilst knowing they had shared the rest

Ida
Ida
3 years ago

He was part of the group

Lucifer
Lucifer
3 years ago

K11million in a laptop bag? Must be a huge laptop.

Mwenechanya
Mwenechanya
3 years ago
Reply to  Lucifer

Simunanyamulepo ndalama zambiri taona. A laptop bag can carry adound 20 million the max. Ma bundle 5 and a half ama 2 pin ntichani

Last edited 3 years ago by Mwenechanya
Ndafera Nkhande
Ndafera Nkhande
3 years ago

Akula bvumwe nakhala pa tsekela. Zoona kuchoka ku TANGANYIKA kudzaba kuno ku Malawi.Eiish mwakwidzinge zenizeni madala amewa.Bravo apolisi apa zili bhoo

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