* Five arrested over robberies targeting foreign nationals; four suspected to be members of a criminal syndicate operating between Lilongwe and Blantyre
* The 5th suspected to be allegedly buying stolen property from foreign nationals and forwarding them to Blantyre for resale
* Identified as Lano Banda (27), James Banda (32), Gregory Makonokaya (41) — all from Bangwe and Ndirande Townships in Blantyre — and Alfred Banda (39) of Mgona in Lilongwe
By Alfred Banda, MANA
Police in Lilongwe have arrested five men in connection with a series of robberies that targeted foreign nationals at Falls Estate in Area 1, Lilongwe where cash and electronic gadgets worth millions of Kwacha were stolen.
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Lilongwe Police public relations officer, Inspector Hastings Chigalu said four of the suspects are believed to be members of a criminal syndicate operating between Lilongwe and Blantyre, while the fifth suspect was allegedly buying stolen property for resale.
The four suspects have been identified as Lano Banda (27), James Banda (32), Gregory Makonokaya (41) — all from Bangwe and Ndirande Townships in Blantyre — and Alfred Banda (39) of Mgona in Lilongwe.
The fifth is Steven Lackson (25), an information technology (IT) technician based at Devil Street in Lilongwe, who allegedly bought stolen items and forwarded them to Blantyre for resale.
According to Police, on the night of November 18, 2025, the suspects attacked four Nigerian nationals and stole four mobile phones, an HP laptop, a wristwatch and K6.1 million in cash.
“Following investigations, detectives managed to recover one laptop and a cellphone stolen during the attack,” said Chigalu, adding that in another incident on November 26, 2025, the suspects, armed with panga knives, attacked six Central Poultry Limited employees of Indian origin living within the same compound and stole three laptops, a cellphone and K1 million in cash.
Two laptops and one mobile phone have since been recovered and Chigalu further reports that on November 29, 2025, the suspects attacked a Pakistani national and four other Central Poultry Limited employees, during which one victim sustained a fractured left arm.
The suspects allegedly stole two mobile phones and K695,000 in cash. Chigalu said detectives gathered intelligence that led to the arrest of three suspects in Blantyre, while another was later arrested at Bwandiro Township in Lilongwe.
“The suspects will be taken to court to answer multiple counts of robbery and unlawful wounding, while investigations are continuing to arrest the remaining accomplices who are still at large,” he said.
Police have since assured the public of continued efforts to dismantle criminal syndicates operating within the city.
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