Dowa Police have, on December 14, 2024, apprehended five men in connection with the theft of Escom properties in the district.
The incident took place on October 2, 2024, at Besera Village near Dzaleka Refugee Camp.
The suspects identified as Yamikani Thambo (22), Mayamiko Batani (27), Emmanuel Banda (25), Mustafa Machemba (19), and Chikumbutso Lameck (23), were arrested following a tip-off from a concerned citizen about the vandalism of an Escom transformer in Besera Village.
In response to a series of vandalism of Escom properties across the country, Dowa Police initiated an investigation that led to the suspects’ arrest in Lilongwe’s Area 36.
The suspects confessed to vandalizing and stealing Escom transformers at Besera Village and Namwiri Trading Center in Mtengowanthenga-Mponela They also guided the police to these locations.
Three of the suspects admitted to selling the stolen copper wire extracted from the transformers to the other two suspects.
They will soon appear in court to face charges related to the theft.
The suspects hail from various districts: Emmanuel Banda from Kasichi Village, Traditional Authority Chulu in Kasungu District; Chikumbutso Lameck from Nammare Village, Traditional Authority Nthiramanja in Mulanje District; Mustafa Machemba from Mandozo Village, Traditional Authority Chikumbu in Mulanje District; and Mayamiko Batani and Yamikani Thambo from Kanjobvu and Chikhwasa Villages, Traditional Authority Sawali in Balaka District.
By Alice Sitima
