FOUR people have been arrested while another is on the run for allegedly reselling Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) relief mealie-meal in Livingstone. Sixty-one 12.5 kilogramme mealie-meal and 57 empty bags of relief food have been recovered.

Police spokesperson Esther Katongo said in a statement yesterday that the mealie-meal and the empty bags were found at a residence of a farmer only identified as Mesias in Katapazi. Police received information from a concerned citizen that there was a person who was selling mealie-meal suspected to have been distributed by DMMU.

“The mealie-meal was being sold in buckets after being removed from bags labelled ‘Relief Food Programme by Office of the Vice-President’,” Ms Katongo said. Kelly Habanyama, who was hired to transport the consignment from the house of Boniface Muleya in Livingstone to Katapazi, was also arrested. Muleya is on the run. Others apprehended are Shaft Hatembo of Maramba in Livingstone, a nephew of Muleya, and Timothy Phiri, also a transporter. Investigations have continued