NRC Student beaten to death

A 20-year-old Natural Resources College (NRC) student in Lilongwe was pronounced dead on arrival at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) on Sunday after being beaten by a mob that mistook him for a burglar.

Lilongwe Police Station spokesperson Kingsley Dandaula confirmed the incident, saying the deceased, a first year student identified as Blessings Mithi from Zakaliya Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Kaluluma in Kasungu, was beaten by some members of the surrounding community in the early hours of March 6.

“We are told the student went to drink [beer] at a bar and on his way back, probably due to drunkenness, went knocking on a wrong door and tried to force it open. The owner of the house, suspecting it was a thief started shouting for help,” he said.

Dandaula said Mithi was taken to the Natural Resources College Police Unit before being taken to KCH where he was pronounced dead.

Efforts to talk to NRC administration proved futile on Wednesday as the ground line went unanswered.

However, a source at the institution said the college was on Monday involved in burial arrangements for the student.

Mob justice cases are rampant in the country and police are advising the public not to take the law into their own hands.

Some of the recent mob justice cases include the killing of four elderly persons suspected of witchcraft in Neno District, the killing of seven people suspected of keeping body parts at Tengani in Nsanje District.