Malawi Police arrest mother for burning son over stealing groundnuts
Blantyre Police has arrested Margret Gama, 26 years old, for burning both hands of her own 10 year old son (name withheld) after their neighbor reported that he stole groundnuts at their house.
According to Blantyre Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) Elizabeth Divala, the boy went to his neighbor’s house where he stole the groundnuts.
“The neighbor reported the kid to his mother and to her annoyance with the kid’s behavior, the mother got hold of his hands and burnt them with fire,” she said.
The injured child was taken to Milale Health Centre where he was treated for burns on the same day,” she added.
Divala said the matter was later reported to Milale Police Station and the mother was arrested.
“Currently, the woman is on remand at Chichiri Prison waiting for the child to recover after which she will answer charges related to acts intended to cause grievous harm,” said Divala.
Meanwhile, the police are warning parents to avoid taking the law into their own hands when it comes to disciplining their children saying doing so is against the law.
“When parents are having problematic children at home, they should take them to police for counseling and not punish them themselves,” Divala said
Margret Gama hails from Mwangata Village in the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Somba in Blantyre
