Woman arrested for concealing the death of a baby girl

Police in Kasungu have arrested a 39-year-old woman for concealing the death of her one-month old baby girl.

The suspect, identified as Grace Nasala Chimbewa, committed the offence between September 13 and October 19 at Kasalika location in Kasungu.

Kasungu Police Station spokesperson Joseph Kachikho said Chimbewa gave birth to a baby girl on September 13 2021 at her house and that during the second week of October the baby got sick.

“The suspect never bothered to take her to hospital to seek medical attention until October 15 when the baby died,” he said.

Kachikho said the woman never informed anyone about this and when she was asked about the whereabouts of the baby, she told people that they could not see her because she was sleeping.

“On October 18, elderly women and block leaders in the area forced her to see the baby after suspecting that something had gone wrong. They discovered that the baby was dead,” said the police spokesperson.

She said the village head was informed about the matter and ordered the  burial of the child as the body was in a decomposed state.

“We have arrested the woman and she will appear before court to answer a case of abandonment of a child contrary to Section 232(A) of the Penal Code,” Kachikho said.

Chimbewa comes from Chamasowa Village, Traditional Authority Chimaliro in Thyolo District.