Lilongwe, March 26: Kawale Police on Wednesday arrested Lucius Mantha aged 21 from Ndaona village, Traditional Authority (TA) Nsabwe in Thyolo district for verbally attacking a person with albinism in Lilongwe.
Speaking in an interview with the Malawi News Agency (Mana), Lilongwe Police Station Public Relations Officer (PRO) Inspector Kingsley Dandaula identified the complainant as Robert Banda aged 30 from Mkwapatira village, TA Somba in Blantyre and works as a security guard at Safeguard Security Company in Lilongwe.
Dandaula said it was on the morning of 19 March 2015, when Banda was going to work via Mchesi township where the suspect live when he met his fate.
“The suspect Mantha is believed to have said that Banda, the person with albinism, was a property worth selling for an easy three million kwacha (MK3million), that angered him and reported the matter to Kawale Police who eventually arrested Banda after conducting investigations,” said Dandaula.
Meanwhile the suspect has been charged for conduct likely to cause a breach of peace contrary to section 181 of the penal code.
In recent months, there have been growing fears among persons with albinism due to the number of cases of abductions and killings of people with the condition especially in various districts including Machinga, Zomba, Blantyre and Mulanje.
On 23 March 2015, Machinga court sentenced a man to two (2) years jail for abducting an eleven year-old girl with albinism.
According to data issued by the Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi APAM), eight (8) people have reportedly been killed while seven (7) have been kidnapped and are still missing.
