Police in Dowa District arrested 26 people following violent clashes with residents at the Mponela Police Station on June 15, according to AM TV Malawi and Face of Malawi. The unrest erupted after community members apprehended a man accused of attempting to sexually assault a six-year-old child in a nearby bush. When police officers intervened to rescue the suspect from mob justice, angry protesters marched to the station, blocked the M1 road, and pelted buildings and vehicles with stones. Central East Region Police spokesperson Esther Mkwanda confirmed that officers fired teargas to disperse the crowd and that the 26 arrested individuals will appear in court soon to answer various charges.
In a separate incident in Blantyre, police arrested 27-year-old Gift Binde for causing a public disturbance that led to a road accident near the Mount Soche Hotel, Face of Malawi reports. Blantyre Police deputy spokesperson Doris Mwitha stated the altercation began when the suspect spotted a man he accused of defrauding him in a land deal in Chileka.
Meanwhile, Mwanza police arrested a 22-year-old man, Yohane Dafuleni, for allegedly breaking into a parked truck and stealing two plasma television screens and a mobile phone, according to Face of Malawi. Mwanza Police Station spokesperson Hope Kasakula said the electronics were successfully recovered after the driver reported the break-in, and the suspect is expected to formally face theft charges in court.
On the regional front, the Southern African Development Community will hold the Annual Conference for Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Lilongwe from June 22 to 24. The anti-graft summit will be followed by the Annual Statutory Meeting of the SADC Anti-Corruption Committee on June 25, focusing on regional cooperation regarding financial crimes.