LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Lilongwe Police have are keeping in custody Yohane Mphatso, a 19-year-old man accused of causing the death of a congregant during a controversial church deliverance session at Zamkutu Zion Church on August 6, 2025.

According to Lilongwe Police Public Relations Officer Inspector Hastings Chigalu, the incident occurred during an evening prayer service around 8 p.m where church elders were conducting a deliverance ritual that involved whipping congregants with wooden sticks.

The victim, identified as Alena Banda, aged 62, from Chivina Village, Traditional Authority (TA) Nyanja in Kasungu was among those seeking healing and spiritual deliverance.

Preliminary investigations indicate that Mphatso whipped Banda severely on her back during the session. Shortly afterward, Banda collapsed inside the church.

She was rushed to Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH), but medical personnel pronounced her dead on arrival.

A postmortem report later confirmed that her death resulted from severe trauma shock and cardiac arrest caused by the excessive whipping.

Authorities at KCH referred Banda’s relatives to the police when they came to collect her body, prompting an official investigation.

Four church members were initially taken in for questioning, and Mphatso was identified as the prime suspect.

Police have since recovered the two wooden sticks allegedly used in the whipping.

Mphatso, a resident of Malemia Village, Traditional Authority Chiseka in Lilongwe, is expected to appear in court soon to answer a murder charge.