Dedza police rescue 31 trafficked people

Police in Dedza have busted a human trafficking ring and have rescued 31 trafficked people, including children aged from four to 15, who were being taken to Mozambique.

Confirming the development was Dedza police public relations officer Cassim Manda who said amongst the victims, 17 were children aged from four to fifteen, six female adults and eight male adult victims.

Sergeant Manda said Jonas Matias connived with Adson Thoya and fraudulently coerced the villagers to go with them to Mozambique by promising them that they will be offered good jobs in estates.

It is reported that police officers at Salati border, stationed in Dzalanyama forest, received a tip-off that Matias and Thoya, a driver of CK 3355 Toyota Hilux, went to the area of Traditional Authority Chisewa in Lilongwe where they convinced the villagers.

The publicist added that at round 5pm, Thoya arrived in the thick forest of Dzalanyama and ordered the victims to get off to Mozambique using unchartered routes.

Later, the two traffickers fell in the hands of police officers who were already undercover and the victims were emancipated from the hands of traffickers who were taking them to cross the Malawian border.

Matias the key suspect told the police officers that all 31 victims were taken from Lilongwe and they were on their way to Mozambique which was their final destination for cheap labor.

He also told the police officers that over the past year he has been trafficking people to Mozambique using an unchartered route at the beginning of the farming season.

The suspect added that during harvest, the estate owners reward him with some sort of gifts such as motorcycles and other materials since they were make huge profits due to cheap labours.

Meanwhile, the two suspects are in police custody as they wait to answer charges of human trafficking which attracts a maximum sentence of fourteen years without the option of fine under part 3 section 14 subsection (1) of trafficking in person act of 2015.

Jonas Matias hails from Thangazasoya village in the area of Traditional Authority Ganya in Ntcheu district while Adson Thoya, 39, hails from Mkwela village in the area of Traditional Authority Chiseka in Lilongwe district.