Village headman Kaluma aged 62 hanged himself in a tree on Tuesday in Dowa district.
Deputy public relations officer for Mponela police station sergeant Macpatson Msadala said the chief’s name is Kachale Chingondo.
Msadala said reports indicate that the village head had been complaining of different nightmares which could culminate into screaming whilst asleep.
Msadala said: “On July 6, 2020 during the night he slept well but during midnight he woke up complaining the same.
“He then started going out and back repeatedly without saying anything. At around 04:00 hours when he went out he did not come back. This made the wife to follow him up but she did not find him. She then alerted relatives and his children who after searching he was found hanging in the garden.”
The matter was reported to Mponela Police and upon receipt of the information, CID officers accompanied by a medical personnel from Mponela rural hospital visited the scene.
Postmortem conducted has revealed that death was due to suffocation secondary to strangulation.
Kachalo Chingondo hailed from Maluma village in the area of Traditional Authority Dzoole in Dowa District.
In a related development, another man identified as Fred Chambakata 38, who was of unsound mind, has also hanged himself in a tree for guilty conscious after being found stealing maize.
Msadala said this occurred between the night of July 6 to 7, in Mphwamphwa village in the same traditional authority.
Fred was found stealing maize but he escaped to unknown place and on the following day, he was found hanging in a tree behind his uncle’s house.
Medical report revealed that death was due to suffocation secondary to strangulation.
Fred Chambakata hailed from Mphwamphwa village in the area of Traditional Authority Dzoole in the same district.
