The trail of 13 stolen cattle led villagers to a vehicle loaded with slaughtered animals. Then, mhuu! One suspect fell into their hands, and the hunt took a deadly turn.
The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Yusufu Lingisoni Sitoro, was beaten to death before angry villagers set his body ablaze at Mchetechete Village in Ntchisi.
Ntchisi Police public relations officer Sub Inspector Salomy Zgambo confirmed the incident, saying it happened during the night of September 29 to 30, 2026, at Kamsonga Village under Traditional Authority Malenga.
The drama started after cattle owner Kamphindo Kanyemba reported that unknown criminals had stolen his 13 cattle during the night.
Kanyemba alerted his relatives and other community members, who quickly mobilised and launched a search for the missing animals.
The search party eventually reached Mchetechete Village, where they allegedly found the suspects loading slaughtered cattle into a Honda Freed motor vehicle, registration number NN 10384.
But the suspects fled upon seeing the villagers.
The search party managed to catch Sitoro, and a search uncovered a driving licence bearing his particulars.
That was when the search for the cattle turned into a deadly confrontation.
Angry villagers assaulted Sitoro until he died before setting his body ablaze. The vehicle was also torched and reduced to ashes.
Police later visited the scene after the matter was reported and confirmed the incident.
Investigations have established that six of the 13 stolen cattle had already been slaughtered, with their total value estimated at K9 million, while the remaining seven were found alive.
Police have since restored both the slaughtered carcasses and the live cattle to Kanyemba.
Meanwhile, investigations are continuing to trace the other suspects who fled the scene.
Police have condemned the mob killing and appealed to the public to stop taking the law into their own hands and instead hand suspected criminals over to law enforcers.
