Police in Lilongwe have arrested Emmanuel Jonah aged 30 and Lilian Manda aged 30 over theft of 61 motorcycles, and 84 bales of secondhand clothes all valued at K229 million in December last year.
Jonah who has been on the run for two months is believed to have masterminded a break into a Chinese couple’s warehouse at Area 6.
The suspect, famously known as Nana among his peers, was smoked out on Sunday, February 4, 2024 at Luwani Estate in Neno District, where he has been hiding.
The woman, Lilian Manda, an Area 49 resident, has been receiving, and selling some of the stolen property on behalf of Jonah and his fellow criminal gangs.
She has been charged with receiving stolen property, admitted to have received from the suspect nine brand-new motorcycles, which she later sold in Nkhota-kota. Police have since recovered them all.
In December last year, after conniving with a security guard, Jonah and his accomplices who were already arrested, broke into a warehouse situated along Maula Street, and went away with the said property.
They hired a 10 tonner truck, Scania Van, registration number DA 1610 to ferry the stolen items on two separate occasions to Area 25.
So far, 17 motorcycles out of the 61, have been recovered.
Emmanuel Jonah comes from Kampira Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mbenje, Nsanje, whilst Lilian Manda hails from Chongole Village, T/A Mwadzama in Nkhota-kota District.
