Police officers implicated in chamba deal gone awry in Nkhotakota

* Alleged to have confiscated huge consignments chamba and sold it to another dealer

By Duncan Mlanjira

A report from Nkhunga Police Station indicates that six officers have been implicated in the sale of marijuana (cannabis sativa/chamba) in a deal that went awry in Nkhotakota District.

The crime situation report says this allegation came after they arrested 33-year-old Robert Malombe, a businessman based in Ndirande Majiga, Blantyre, who is suspected of arson.

The report said it is alleged that the suspect, Malombe was in Dwangwa to buy the cannabis sativa, which he acquired about 8 bags  of 100kgs each and kept it at a house of a Mr. Banda residing at Mulala Village ready ferry it to his destination.

But following a tip, Nkhunga Police Station deployed the five officers, Inspector Nelson Gulani; Sub Inspector Millward Chakumanika; Sub Inspector Chapalamira and Sergeants, Lifa Jailosi Phiri, Robert Kapalamula and Victor Chinyama for action.

The heavily armed officers are reported to have rushed to the scene in police vehicle Forton reg. No. MP2468 where they managed to confiscate the bags of chamba but instead of taking the exhibits to police station, it is alleged that they sold it to another drug dealer, Mayeso Misomali — a 38-year-old from Mbuna Village, T/A Kanyenda at Dwangwa Trading Centre.

The police report further said it is again alleged that when the arson suspect, Malombe heard that his cannabis had been confiscated by the police and also sold to his friend in business, he went to the garden of the buyer Mayeso Misomali where he torched his huts in which he kept the chamba as warehouse.

However, the five officers reported back to police station without any suspect or exhibits and did not report the same to anyone else in authority.

However, after torching Misomali’s huts, the suspect, Malombe opted to also report to police that his cannabis had been stolen by the said 6 police officers and that it was sold to his friend Misomali.

Malombe is reported to have brought with him 10 rubber canisters of teargas and 21 live canisters of teargas, which he alleged were left behind by the said suspected police officers during their operation at the scene where they had parked the Forton and hauled the said drugs.

However, all the mentioned police officers were not yet interviewed when we received and the report indicated that a detailed one would follow after the six officers’ sides of the allegations.

Meanwhile, a police officer is also involved in the creation and circulation of false information on social media linking and implicating Minister of Information & Digitalisation to the murder of Allan Witika, a Coca-Cola Beverages Sales & Manager Manager which happened in Area 15 in Lilongwe on September 20.

The woman police officer, Sub Inspector Susan Kachinga, was arrested alongside two others, Mercy Chiligo and Chipiliro Kalima — charged with cyber bullying and defamation of character, which are crimes under the Eletronic Transactions & Cyber-Security Act and Penal Code.

The audio clip allegedly linked Kunkuyu to the gruesome murder of Witika after it was disclosed that the suspected murderer, Lester Maganga happened to be the Minister’s personal assistant.

He was arrested on Friday and charged with murder and appeared at Magistrate Court in Lilongwe on Monday before being committed to the High Court.

The police emphasized that Kunkuyu was not on their radar of investigations and described the WhatsApp voice note that went viral on social media as misleading.

The arrest of the three three women in Blantyre and Lilongwe enhances public warning the Malawi’s police keeps warning the general public that it is illegal circulate misleading information that usually are not substantiated with evidence.