Pofera Boma, 52, arrested over savage robbery ,guns down pregnant mum-to-be

Malawi Police have arrested a 52-year-old businessman on suspicion of taking part in a horrifying armed robbery that left a heavily pregnant woman shot dead and her husband fighting for his life.

Pofera Boma was picked up by Kanengo Police on September 6, 2026, as detectives closed in on the gang responsible for the harrowing attack at Area 25 Sector 5 New Lines in Lilongwe three days earlier.

Police spokesperson Macfarlen Mseteka said a gang of five armed men stormed the home of William Nepiyala on September 3, shooting his wife Ezilina Masamba — who was nine months pregnant — in cold blood. Her devastated husband was left with serious injuries and remains in hospital receiving treatment.

Boma, a trader at Nsungwi Market who hails from Ndovi Village under Traditional Authority Kabudula, is now in custody as officers scramble to track down his four accomplices — and the firearm allegedly used to carry out the killing.

In a separate swoop, police also arrested kabaza motorbike rider Gift Fole, accused of ferrying criminals to and from robbery scenes across the Area 25 area.

Mseteka revealed Fole confessed to transporting the suspects — and then led detectives straight to a stash of stolen loot hidden in Chinsapo 2.

Officers recovered a haul including:

• 43 coils
• A welding machine
• Nine car batteries
• 24 vehicle mirrors — all believed to have been looted from homes in the area.

Police have now issued an urgent warning to traders around Nsungwi Market and the wider Area 25 area, urging them to tighten security, avoid carrying large sums of cash late at night, and make use of police escort services when transporting money.