Top crime buster Mtekama appointed head of CID
Inspector General (IG) of Police Lot Dzonzi in a quest to fight the sweeping levels of crime has appointed Malawi’s effective crime –buster and top-notch law enforcement detective Bob Mtekama to head the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and lead in the fight against crime at the National Police Headquarters in Area 30, Nyasa Times can reveal.
Nyasa Times understands that crime in Malawi is rampant with its levels are now fluctuating to ‘Golan Heights’ and things are beginning to get out of hand with a spate of armed robberies.
Highly placed sources in the Malawi Police told Nyasa Timesthat in order to arrest the situation of the rising crime rate the IG has appointed Mtekama, who boasts an impeccable record of nabbing dangerous and high profile criminals.
Bob Hamisi Stambuli Mtekama widely known for his professional traits replaces Director of CID Lexa Chalera who is not a trained specialised detective but a general duties officer. She now is deputy for inspection branch for the general cleaning at the police headquarters.
But National police spokesperson Davie Chingwalu refused to comment on the matter.
“I can’t comment on that for now. Thank you,” slammed Chingwalu.
Several CID officers Nyasa Times spoke to, corroborated the story by confirming that both Chalera and Mtekama have already taken up their new positions.
Chalera’s high profile case during her time as head of CID is when she and her officers discovered where and how Linda Gasa, a College of Medicine student was brutally butchered by her boyfriend Misozi Chanthunya who was later arrested in South Africa.
But Chalera will be haunted with her behaviour on how she conducted herself during the arrest of human rights lawyer and now Attorney General and Justice Minister , Ralph Kasambara.
Chalera a ordered that Kasambara be in detention even after the court had freed him. That, will forever be etched on her legacy as a bad apple in the Malawi Police service. And as if that is not enough, Kasambara is taking Chalera and his stooges to the cleaners seeking legal redress.
Mtekama, who hails from Chief Malengachanzi in Nkhotakota district, until his appointment was a Crime Superintendent and in-charge of forensics in the Malawi Police national Headquarters.
“It is true that the Inspector General has replaced Mrs. Chalera with Bob Mtekama who was trained by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in America,” said the source.
Added the source: “For those who know Bob Mtekama will agree that his appointment was long overdue. He is the best person to head the CID but he has been a victim of political circumstance all along because he was widely seen as someone without political loyalty.
“The IG has made a landmark appointment on Mtekama as he will bring sanity to the CID department. He is a well disciplined and extensively trained and dedicated police officer with a methodological know how on how to curb crime and criminals having been a CID office for a long time.”
Nyasa Times investigations reveal that Mtekama ,who has been doing his degree in Criminal Law at the University of Zanzibar ,is the only police officer in Malawi trained in forensic science by the University of Malawi’s College of Medicine. He was trained by Professor George Liomba and his protégé Dr. Charles Dzamalala.
Mtekama is also a fingerprint specialist and only handwriting expert in the Malawi Police. He is widely known for his crime busting and during his tenure as head of CID in the Southern region he was responsible for hunting down criminal gangs, organised criminals and arrested hordes of armed robbers.
Crime Buster
Some high profile crimes that Mtekama has uncovered includes; the Clive Macholowe and his gang who terrorised Southern region with a spate of armed robberies and the famous Thyolo and Chichiri National Bank robberies (the first bank robberies in Malawi) and the Ministry of education salary robbery which left a police man gunned down in Blantyre.
Another high profile criminal is Gift Namacha M’bobo who killed a Greek Farmer in Dedza before striking Chibuku Breweries in Blantyre and stole MK6 million. M’bobo also killed a bank official at Lunzu trading centre and went away with his car.
Mtekama also was head of a special police operation which included detective George Mnjale, detective Mkwate and others that rounded off the infamous Chiradzulu serial killers’ criminals.
Nemesis
Mtekama in his course to fight criminals and sophisticated crime he made a lot of enemies refused to tow any political line when he was asked to arrest opposition leaders on political grounds.
“Mtekama is a professional police officer who does not pull any political line. He once refused to take an order from the UDF politburo to arrest Brown Mpinganjira when he was regional CID officer for the south saying there were no grounds to effect an arrest apart from political reasons. He told them point blank, that he does not take orders from politicians but act within the precincts of the law. That put him in trouble, he was frustrated and was removed from the CID and was sent to Chintheche then Karonga,” said the source.
A senior CID police officer who worked with Mtekama said in a separate interview that when crime was rampant in Lilongwe Mtekama was reverted to his post as head of CID in the central region and when he took up his post crime rate came down.
But then, the same thing happened, according the source, the DPP wanted to use him to arrest members of the opposition especially from the UDF but he refused and advised the then IG that arresting innocent people leaving criminals is not only a disservice to the country’s justice but professional misconduct and so he was sent back to Karonga.
No Nonsense
“Bob Mtekama just like the IG, Lot Dzonzi has suffered unjustly and has been frustrated for standing out the truth for justice. Criminals must brace for tougher times with Mtekama at the helm of CID and Dzonzi as IG, the two do not take trash. They are a perfect picture of professional police officers,” said another senior police officer.
“If anyone thinks he or she can toy with Mtekama for his gains then she or he must think again. Mtekama makes no friends with wrongdoing but is always at peace with the law. I am not surprised he has chosen to become a lawyer himself. Dzonzi on the other hand is a highly disciplined and God fearing person and I can see a bright future for the Malawi Police with him as in charge,” she said.
Nyasa Times investigations indicates that Lot Dzonzi, a graduate from Chancellor College a teacher a pastor and motivational speaker led a one man campaign for the police to start enlisting university graduates.
It is also indicated that Dzonzi was one who negotiated with the British government for funding to change Malawi Police from a Police Force to a ‘Police Service’ alongside the Police reform.
Dzonzi has since warned police officers that if they can’t cope with the change to make Malawi Police a people centred service to either change or quit.
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