Malawi Police shields identity of person who picked man posing as woman prostitute
The Police at Kanengo in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe are shielding the identity of a man who picked up a 19-year-old man at night on the road side thinking that he was picking a prostitute for sex.
According to the Police statement issued by Kanengo Police Station, a young man named Van Gomani was arrested on Monday along Kaunda Road for falsifying his gender posing as a female prostitute.
In a statement Kanengo Police Station Public Relations Officer (PRO) Salome Zgambo – Chibwana said: “The facts of the matter are that, Van, a young male who has female looks dressed up like a woman and extended his hair with a synthetic weave hair extensions and stood by the roadside, posing as a female prostitute.”
Added Zgambo – Chibwana: “A certain man who was driving on the road stopped for him and picked him in his car thinking that he was a lady. The man took the ‘woman’ to a rest house and booked a room and it was in that room that he discovered that the ‘woman’ he had picked was, in fact, a man.”
The police publicist, however, said that the man has female features and that it was easy for anybody to fall into the trap of thinking that the young man is a woman.
“Looking at the young man at first glance, any person can easily be deceived into thinking that Van is a lady because he looks like a woman. He has imposing and outstanding feminine features and doesn’t fit the description of a man, she looks every part, a woman,” the police spokesperson said.
Zgambo-Chibwana explained that the man upon discovering that the ‘woman’ was a man in the room, he took the suspect to Kanengo police station and reported the matter.
“The man told the police that he felt deceived saying the man by faking his gender had sinister motives adding that he wanted to steal from him using his female looks.
According to the police, the suspect, who hails from kapetera village in Traditional Authority (T/A) Kapeni in Blantyre District will appear in court soon to answer charges of soliciting immoral purpose which is under section 180 sub section (e) of the penal code.
Kanengo police publicist refused to give details of the man who picked up the ‘prostitute’ on the road saying there was an order from above not to reveal the complainant’s identity and details.
In a follow-up interview when Nyasa Times pressed Kanengo police publicist, Zgambo-Chibwana, to give the identity and details of man who was soliciting for prostitution services as to why the complainant was not arrested when he (the complainant) was just guilty pursuant to the Laws of Malawi as prescribed in the Penal Code she said: ” I have been instructed by management not to reveal the identity of the complainant. I am only acting on orders from above.”
But when pressed further to explain who exactly is management and what does she mean she is acting on orders from above Zgambo – Chibwana said that as far as she is concerned the man who picked the man mistaking him for a woman for sex has no crime.
She said: “As far we are concerned, the complainant has not committed any crime. It is not a crime to pick a prostitute. The man who was faking his sex will also be charged with an offence of loitering. I work on orders and my orders are that I must not disclose the complainant’s details.
“No matter how much you will press or insist, I will not give you the details. However, I will have to go and ask the Officer in Charge for directions on your questions and I will come back to you.”
She did not come back.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
