A commercial  sex worker who allegedly stole K62,000 from a farmer in Nakonde last week has been arrested and part of the money has been recovered. Obert Kalengo, 34, of Serenje, had his money stolen by a prostitute after he sold 1,090 bags of maize at K120,000 to a private buyer in Nakonde. After the transaction, Mr Kalengo could not take the money to the bank because it was late but kept it in his room at a guest house where he picked a sex worker to spend a night with.

However, when he woke up the following day, he discovered that the sex worker had gone away with K62,000 out of the K120,000 which was in a bag in the room. Mr Kalengo was supposed to pay the sex worker K300 for the night service Muchinga Province Commissioner of Police Joel Njase said in an interview that the sex worker identified as Martha Namukoko was arrested yesterday.

Mr Njase said a team of police detectives went to Ntindi village in Nakonde where they found Namukoko and apprehended her. She later led the officers to her parents’ house where she claimed to have hidden the money.

At her parents’ home, Namukoko led the officers into her bedroom where she uncovered the beddings and explained to the officers that she had wrapped the money in a white plastic and a chitenge and buried it. Mr Njase said the suspect also gave police officers a mobile phone, a Techno Spark2 brand worth K1,300 which she bought using part of the stolen money. After searching the house, police officers only found K11,700.

“The money and the mobile phone have been kept as exhibits and the suspect will appear in court soon,” he said. According to the police, Mr Kalengo met the woman at the same guest house where he had booked a room and asked her out to a nightclub for a drink. From the nightclub, Mr Kalengo invited Namukoko to his room so that he could spend a night with her but she allegedly vanished with his money.