Murder suspects surrender themselves to Malawi Police

Two men surrendered themselves to Mzuzu Police Station Tuesday for allegedly murdering a man who was found stealing tomato from a garden.

Mzuzu Police deputy publicist Cecilia Mfune said Wednesday that the suspects are Wellings Munthali, 40, and Ned Mbewe, 29.

Mfune said the two suspects assaulted to death, Japhet Mumba, 45, of Kaonavinji Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mtwalo in Mzimba District after catching him stealing tomatoes in Munthali’s garden on Monday night.

“What transpired is that the first suspect [Munthali] has a tomato garden and for the past weeks tomatoes were being stolen by an unknown person.

“On Monday night, he went to guard the garden accompanied by the second suspect; and in the middle of the night, when the deceased went to steal from the garden, the suspects attacked him,” she said.

Mfune added that Ekwendeni Police Unit received a tip on the murder and visited the crime scene together with medical personnel whose postmortem results revealed death “due to severe strangled neck.”

Police have since warned the general public against beating up people they catch stealing saying it is against the law.

The two suspects who hail from Kaonavinji Village and Zundwala Village, respectively, in the same T/A Mtwalo are expected to appear in court soon to answer murder charges.