Man mistaken for a beast killed

A 20 year old Malawian man in Machinga district was over the weekend killed by an angry mob as he was being mistaken for a wild beast.

According to Machinga police criminal investigator, Inspector, Isaac Mdala the deceased has been identified as Lucius Wilson, 20 from Makolonganya village in the area of Traditional Authority Mkoola in the district.

Inspector Mdala said on this night, the deceased wore a cloth that covered his face and was crawling with his two arms and legs heading towards a group of women who were chatting on a veranda.

He said this scared the women who then started shouting on top of their voices looking for a help as they thought it was really a wild beast.

This prompted men in the village who flocked to the scene heavily armed to got the animal killed.

One of villagers, Mailosi Mkhwaya who was having a hoe in his hand, hit the head of the man, a development that saw him falling to the ground.

After few minutes, this group of men realized that the killed was not a beast as said before but was a son of one of the women who were chatting.

Wilson was pronounced dead upon arrival at Mtaja health centre where he was taken for treatment and the death was due to serious injuries in his head.

Meanwhile, the Machinga police are keeping in their custody Mailosi Mkhwaya who hit the head of the suspected beast to death and police say he will be answering charges of murder soon.