Police in Dowa have arrested three people on an allegation that they accused a person of practising witchcraft.
The incident happened yesterday evening in Matekenya area, Traditional Authority Msakambewa, in Dowa District.
The suspects have been identified as Mickness Moses Luka (female adult), Maliko Green Chibwe, 48, and Dickson Green Chibwe, 41, all from Kachinga Village in Traditional Authority Msakambewa in the district.
It is reported that Daniel Keliasi who owns a maize mill which he inherited after the death of his parents was accused to have allegedly bewitched a certain young man who died three weeks ago.
Police say the family of the deceased started speculating that Keliasi bewitched their son so that he dies in a fatal bicycle accident.
The family allege that the deceased is being used to propel the maize mill. The family further alleges that one day they saw the deceased coming out of the victim’s house.
Following the speculations, on Tuesday evening, the family of the deceased got mobilized and went to the house of the victim for confrontation.
Later, they started assaulting him and members of the community policing forum intervened and rescued him for safety he was held at one of the community policing forum members’ houses.
The matter was reported at Dowa Police Station who rushed to the scene where they found that a bathroom was torched and managed to put down the fire. A total of 18 window pens of the main house were also damaged, Opp two maize mills were completely burnt, 100 tins of groundnuts, 10 bags of maize and assorted clothes were stolen, all items worth K5.4 million.
Dowa Police Station Publicist, Sub Inspector Gladson M’bumpha, said the accused have since been charged with four counts: Malicious damage, arson, theft and charging a person with witchcraft contrary to Section 4 of the Witchcraft Act and will appear before court soon.
