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Police arrest 37 in blood sucking saga

Police have arrested 37 people in four districts on suspicion that they were part of mobs that have so far killed five people in blood sucking claims that have resurfaced in some Northern and Central Region districts.

A spate of killings and attacks has been reported in Chitipa, Mzimba, Kasungu, Dowa and Mchinji where strangers are attacked for being suspected to be bloodsuckers that are allegedly terrorising communities.

National Police spokesperson James Kadadzera said in an interview yesterday that police investigations did not find any tangible evidence that there are bloodsuckers in the country, hence the arrest of the suspects.

Kadadzera: There is no tangible evidence

He said: “The arrest follows blood-sucking myth which police have properly investigated and found no tangible evidence of blood sucking victims or any related business. We are focusing on arrests because innocent people are being killed, some of whom are government employees.

“Police are warning Malawians against attacking innocent people based on the bloodsuckers myth. Anyone found orchestrating these vigilante groups will face the full wrath of the law.” 

However, Kadadzera said there is need for political, traditional and faith leaders to continue engaging their communities on the issue to instil sanity in the country, which is already sailing in political turmoil.

Last Saturday, an angry mob torched Malomo Police Unit in Ntchisi after officers at the station rescued a man suspected of being a bloodsucker.

According to police, communities in Traditional Authority (T/A) Chilooko arrested a suspect and took him to the police unit where they  wanted to burn the suspect.  When  the law enforcers rescued the suspect, the mob torched the police unit.

On his part, Northern Region Police spokesperson Peter Kalaya, said 27 of the suspects are from Mzimba District.

He said: “ They are suspected to have been part of the people that destroyed shops, police offices and other property at Jenda in Mzimba and other parts of the district but also spread lies about bloodsuckers in the district.”

The police spokesperson said the attacks have worsened in the past two weeks, during which people have been blocking roads, attacking strangers and vandalising property of businesspeople accused of either being bloodsuckers or harbouring such people.

“As investigations and arrests continue, the police strongly warn against this uncivilised behaviour and remind everyone that those involved in mob justice will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly,” said Kalaya.

Meanwhile, Senior Chief Mabilabo of Mzimba has called on police to make more arrests and ensure that the suspects face the law.

He said people are deliberately cooking up stories about bloodsuckers to create confusion and fear in communities. 

Said the chief: “Jealousy, illiteracy and poverty are the reasons people are engaging in such barbaric acts. If you analyse the situation, you will see that they are targeting well-to-do people so that they can loot. This is just about jealousy.”

He said those who claim they know the bloodsuckers fail to surrender the suspects to chiefs or police each time they are asked to do so.

Just last week, angry people engaged in running battles with police officers in Mzimba for attempting to rescue people suspected to be bloodsuckers.

One person was burnt alive while other suspects escaped with injuries.

In Chitipa, it is reported that people have now began sleeping in groups for fear of blood suckers.

Any stranger visiting communities is being attacked—a situation which, according to Kadadzera, needs to be resolved with the engagement of community, political and religious leaders.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development says it has provided direction on how the situation should be dealt with at district level.

The ministry’s spokesperson Muhlabase Mughogho said in an interview yesterday: “As a ministry, we told councils to work together with authorities at community level. We encourage local leaders and politicians to be part of the committee at the district level, because they know their people and how problems can be solved.”

It has been two months since bloodsuckers myth resurfaced in the two regions after similar claims last year in the Southern Region also caused mayhem.

Last year, international non-governmental organisations withdrew their staff from operating in Southern Region districts for fear that they could be attacked as bloodsuckers suspects. Government took critical measures such as deploying security personnel to curb the situation.

All the suspects have been remanded in various prisons across the regions as they await to appear in court to answer various charges.

Additional reporting by Pauline Kaude, Malawi News Agency and George Singini, Staff Reporter

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