Police spokesperson Esther Katongo said in a statement yesterday that Levy Kabwe, 65, Vera Chongo, 63, and Simon Nshikokola, 20, allegedly killed Catherine Pule, 86, of Mutono village in Chief Kambwali’s area. “Details of the report are that on Friday around 07:00 hours, Ms Pule was dragged to a witch finder, identified as Musonda, who forcibly made her to drink a dosage of poisonous herbs commonly known as kalola. “Ms Pule was later escorted back to her house where she died two hours later.
Her funeral was not announced and she was secretly buried without a coffin around 19:00 hours at a graveyard near Nchelenge Airstrip by few family members,” she said. Ms Katongo said some alert members of the public tipped police about it and showed them the grave. Kabwe, Chongo, and Nshikokola will be jointly charged with murder and will appear in court soon. And police in Mwense have arrested a 36-year-old radiographer at Mambilima Hospital for allegedly stealing a chemical used for developing X-ray films. Ms Katongo said William Chima transported the chemical to Mansa with a view to selling it to his client, John Kasanda, in Senama.
Meanwhile, eight people have been arrested in Isoka district for allegedly being part of a mob that killed two men they suspected to be behind the gassing of homes. Last Thursday, Sansamweje villagers allegedly beat to death Henry Shombe, 35, a Tanzanian, and another person only identified as Simwinga, 30, after accusing them of gassing people’s homes. Muchinga Province Commissioner of Police Joel Njase said in an interview that officers from Nakonde and Isoka conducted an operation on Saturday around 22:00 hours, during which the eight suspects were arrested. The suspects are Moses Silungwe, 20, Joseph Simukoko,46, Chalwe Simwinga, 25, Eneshle Sichula, 22, Sunday Silwimba, 42, Chrispin Siame, 35, Kanurela Sinusya, 68, and Gershom Siame, 35, all of Mphangala village.
“The suspects were arrested for allegedly being part of the mob that beat to death two people who sustained multiple cuts and died,” he said. Mr Njase said the suspects are in police custody and have been jointly charged with murder. This brings the number of suspects arrested in connection with the murder of people accused of being gassers in Muchinga Province to 26. Sixteen were picked up in Mafinga on Thursday last week for allegedly murdering two people while two others were arrested in Nakonde last Wednesday for allegedly k