Four people are battling for their lives at Mchinji District Hospital after being hacked with a machete by a mentally ill person.
Mchinji Police spokesperson Kaitano Lubrino said Montfort Besati (25) developed a mental problem in 2017 and has been under psychiatric treatment and since then his behavior has been unpredictable as sometimes he tends to be violent.
On Sunday, Montfort was denied something which he had demanded from one of his relatives Chrissie Joshua (40) and this annoyed him.
Lubrino added that at around 17:00 hours Montfort sneaked into the house of Joshua with a machete in his hand where he found her carrying a two year old child named Retisha Boniface.
“Montfort started harassing the woman and in the process she was hacked on her forehead, and he then hacked the child on the head. The two were left unconscious,” he explained.
Following the incident, Maxwell Banda and Akimu Kalitsiro went into the house to rescue the victims but two men also ended up being attacked by the mentally disabled man.
Following the incident, all the four victims were taken to Kochilira Health Centre where they were referred to Mchinji District Hospital for treatment.
Montfort Besati has also been admitted to the same hospital where his psychiatric condition is being monitored.
Meanwhile, the police are appealing to the general public to handle with care all people with mental disorders and if possible seek for medical attention once they spot any mental problem in their relatives.
