2 arrested over DEM office fire incident

Police in Rumphi have arrested a messenger and a security guard in connection with a fire incident that destroyed the district education manager’s (DEM) office last Tuesday.

This came to light when Deputy Minister of Local Government Halima Daud visited the site on Saturday to appreciate the extent of the damage to the office.

Briefing the deputy minister, Rumphi Police station officer Chrispin Zintambila said they arrested the two following investigations.

“However, the security guard has been released on police bail,” he said.  

In her remarks, Daud said government will support the DEM’s office to get back on its feet.

She said: “This is an emergency. We will go back and see how we can come up with another structure like this one because renovations will cost a lot of money.

“In the meantime, we will try to source whatever we can to keep the office running.”

The district education office has since been allocated a temporary working space at Bumba Teacher Development Centre.

The fire destroyed files, computers and K5.8 million stored in the office.

Investigations are still underway to assess the damages.