Malawi Police arrest mother for killing newborn: Dumps in pitlatrine
Police in Mzimba have arrested a 30 year old woman on allegations that she killed her new born baby and dumped it in a pit latrine.
According to Police the suspect Witness Chunga of Chikondawanga village, Traditional Authority Mzikubola in the district, gave birth on September 12, this year but concealed the baby since she got pregnant out of wedlock.
Infanticide, which is contrary to section 130 of the penal code and attracts a maximum penalty of more than five years imprisonment with hard labour.
“Her husband left for greener pastures to South Africa two years ago and our investigations reveal that the suspect had several love affairs in the village. But when she got pregnant she concealed it fearing if it’s known it could be the end of her marriage,” Mzimba Police Spokesperson Gift Nyirongo told Nyasa Times.
Nyirongo said when the suspect delivered on her own on September 12th she put the baby in plastic bag and threw in a pit latrine.
“But her mother heard the baby crying and when she went into her bedroom, she was surprised to see that the suspect had some blood stains. That made her to suspect that her daughter had given birth but the baby was not there. Later when the traced the incessant crying of the baby she discovered that it was coming from the toilet.
“But the time the toilet was dismantled, the baby had already died,” he said.
Police arrested the suspect the same day and referred her to Mzimba District Hospital where it was confirmed that the suspect had recently gave birth.
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