A 39-year-old Malawian man died while his friend was rescued when an angry mob set them ablaze after they were caught stealing in the wee hours of Wednesday at Thom village in Mozambique.
The victim Yohane Philimon along with John Alick, crossed the borders into Mozambique to a village near Malawi’s Biriwiri Border Post with the aim of breaking into one of the shops and steal.
While in the act, the owner of the shop noticed something strange that forced him to wake up and shout for help. Villagers around responded positively and managed to catch both suspects.
But instead of handing them over to police, the mob resorted to burning the suspects alive.
Yohane Philimon died on the spot whilst his accomplice, John Alick, was rescued by Mozambican Police but after the blaze had already severely injured him.
Postmortem done by Ntcheu District Hospital confirmed that Yohane died due to severe burns.
Meanwhile, John Alick has been referred to Kamuzu Central Hospital for medical attention.
Yohane Philimon hailed from Chingawa Village, whilst John Alick, 32, hails from Kalulu Village, both in Traditional Authority Njolomole in Ntcheu.
