Residents at Bolero in Rumphi on Wednesday night damaged shops and property owned by foreign nationals after a Rwandan shop owner strangled his watchman to death.
Police in Rumphi have identified the watchman as Bernard Gondwe aged 47 who hailed from Rumphi and the suspected killer as Ali Hirawa aged 46 who hails from Rwanda.
According to reports, the Rwandan suspected the watchman of stealing a 5 litre bottle of cooking oil and as punishment he poured hot cooking oil on the watchman before strangling him to death.
On Tuesday morning, Hirawa hired a Malawian to dispose the body and the hired person dumped it along the road to Rumphi boma.
According to a Police report, the body was found on Tuesday and after burial on Wednesday at around 7pm members of the community mobilised themselves to deal with the Rwandan.
“They started breaking the shop of the suspect and the situation went worse as others started looting other shops of China Qui Qui shop, Luck shop, Mandela shop,” says the report from Rumphi Police Station
Police rushed to the scene to control the riots and during their operation nine police officers sustained various injuries.
Other police officers were sent to the area and they managed to arrest two suspects named Yoswayo Jere aged 48 and Alick Msukwa aged 28.
The murder suspect was handed over to the Northern Region Headquarters for further investigations while inquiries are still going on to recover the looted items.
The Rumphi people are also stupid. Instead of handling the issue at hand and dealing with the Rwandan first they went berserk vandalizing shops, shameful conduct.
Stupid malawi police they allow foreighn nationals to kill us like chickens? What will the family of the deceased bennefit from the Rwandan suspect? If it was a nother country police would just watch that foreighn national being killed by the Mob without doing anything but because MPS think they are doing a recommendable job by doing that No! One day these rwandas will kill you police people. Shame on you guyes