A mob led by gulewamkulu in Dowa on Tuesday vandalised Bowe Police Unit while baying for the blood of a habitual criminal who was under police custody.
The incident happened in the area of Traditional Authority Chakhadza.
Prior to the incident, community members at Bowe Trading Centre apprehended ex-convict identified as Patrick Eneya aged 26 on allegation that he stole a motorcycle and was later handed over to police.
Mponela police publicist Inspector Kaitano Lubrino said that when news broke out that Eneya was in police cells, angry residents stormed the police facility and demanded for his release while baying for his blood.
“Even though Chiefs in the area tried to reason with their subordinates to stop the fracas, in no time, a group of people in gulewamkulu regalia (masquerades) arrived and started vandalizing the facility,” said Lubrino.
However, the suspect was later rescued by a team of law enforcers from Mponela police station.
The suspect, Patrick Eneya, will appear before court soon to answer a case of theft once investigations are over.
Meanwhile, the Officer In-charge for Mponela Police Station Clement Gulo (Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police) has advised community members to refrain from taking the law into their own hands.
The ex-convict Patrick Eneya hails from Kachitibu Village, T/A Chakhaza in Dowa and was pardoned last year from Maula Prison after being convicted of a similar offence.
