Police in Nkhotakota are investigating a case in which a 21-year-old woman was allegedly drugged and raped by unknown individuals while traveling with her three-year-old daughter on March 6, 2026.
Nkhotakota Police public relations officer Chisomo Chuma said the victim had left her home in Dowa Boma to visit her parents at Mchirawapulura Village near Chezi in the same district.
“She boarded a white Toyota Probox public service vehicle which already had four passengers on board. Upon reaching Chezi, the victim became suspicious when the driver failed to stop as expected and instead increased the vehicle’s speed while turning up the volume of the radio,” Chuma explained.
According to Chuma, two of the passengers then moved closer to the victim, grabbed her, and produced two glass bottles containing unknown liquid substances.
“The suspects allegedly forced her to drink the liquid while threatening to kill her if she refused,” Chuma said.
After ingesting the substance, the victim reportedly became dizzy, and the vehicle continued moving towards Mvera Trading Centre. She later became extremely drowsy and eventually lost consciousness.
The victim regained consciousness the following day at around 4 a.m., when well-wishers found her lying half-naked along a path leading to Liwala Graveyard within Nkhotakota Trading Centre, together with her daughter.
The matter was immediately reported to Nkhotakota Police Station.
The victim was later referred to Nkhotakota District Hospital for a medical examination.
Medical personnel confirmed that she had been raped.
Police in Nkhotakota have opened an investigation into the incident and are appealing to members of the public to provide any information that could assist in identifying the suspects.
