Tanzanian nicked with medical loot

Police in Malawi’s border district of Karonga on Friday arrested a Tanzanian man as he tried to cross Songwe border with vital medical equipment suspected to have been stolen from Malawi’s Central Medical Stores.

Karonga Police public relations officer Enock Livason said the suspect, Msajigwa Alex Mwakisimba, 30, of Uyole Village in Mbeya has since been charged with illegal possession of medical equipment.

He said the suspect was found in possession of 194 cartons and 158 boxes of latex sterile surgical gloves and a syringe carton labelled Central Medical Stores while on board a Muhamed commuter bus registration T996 ADC, which was travelling from Lilongwe to the Tanzanian capital Dar-es-Salaam.

“He was caught during a routine check on the bus. We think the goods were stolen because the cartons were tampered with, apparently as the suspect tried to deface the Malawi Government seal. Mwakisimba claims he bought the goods from a certain man. We’ll continue to interrogate him so that he can help us track this man,” said Livason.

He said police have also detained the two drivers of the bus in connection with the matter.