Teacher commits suicide in Salima

A primary school teacher, who was working at Mgawi Primary School in Dedza, was on Tuesday found dead in his room at a lodge in Salima.

Salima police spokesperson Jacob Khembo said the teacher identified as Timothy Mpinganjira, 23, is suspected to have died after taking a poisonous substance believed to be a pestcide.

He said the deceased booked a room at one of the lodge at Kamuzu Road in Salima on the night of June 8, while drunk and did not wake up the following morning, a development he said prompted the receptionist to check on him.

“Efforts were made to awake him, but they proved futile until entry was forced and he was found dead,” Khembo said.

The lodge’s  owner alerted the police who later visited the scene.

Said Khembo: “Postmortem conducted at the health facility revealed that death was due to taking poisonous a substance.”

He said the police were later tipped off that Mpinganjira had impregnated a teenage girl at Mayani Secondary School in Dedza and that her parents were following up on the issue.

“We believe that with this information, the deceased committed suicide to escape arrest for the crime he committed,” said Khembo.

Mpinganjira came from Lobi Village, Traditional Authority Kachere in Dedza.