Police arrest 40 in Ntcheu, Salima

Malawi Police in Ntcheu and Salima this week arrested 40 people in pre-Christmas sweeping exercises.

In Ntcheu, the police jointly carried out the exercise with their Mozambican counterparts on Sunday night and netted 15 people during an operation conducted along the Malawi and Mozambique borders between Tsangano and Lizulu.

Speaking on Monday in an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana), Ntcheu Police spokesperson Gift Matewere said the joint sweeping exercise was conducted to curb crime during Christmas and New Year festivities.

“We conducted this exercise to ensure crime free environment throughout the festive season and that people in both countries celebrate Christmas and New Year in peace,” he said.

Matewere said among those arrested, five are Mozambicans and 10 are Malawians.

“Some of the people have already been charged with armed robbery, rogue and vagabond, among other charges, and will be taken to court,” he said.

In Salima, police arrested 25 people in a sweeping exercise undertaken to minimise crime during the festive season.

Salima Police spokesperson Gift Chitowe told Mana that the 25 were arrested for being found loitering around the town at night.

“In the group, we have 16 women and nine men. They will all appear before the court to answer charges of rogue and vagabond,” he said.

Chitowe said the lakeshore district usually welcomes many visitors during this time of the year and some of the visitors are criminals.

“We want to make the district crime free during this time so that tourists can enjoy their holidays and feel secure,” he said.