According to the Nyasa Times and Malawi Cables Online, an international manhunt is underway after three suspects fled the country following the kidnapping, torture, and murder of Indian national Asif Khan in Blantyre. Khan, allegedly an operative in a gold smuggling network, died on July 6 after days of captivity over accusations of stealing five kilograms of gold. Out of five total suspects, only one, Ghulam Mustafa Noor Ansari, is currently in police custody. Key suspects Mustafa Kader and Sadiq Kader reportedly fled to Tanzania on July 16, while a fourth suspect traveled to India. The Malawi Freedom Network reports that the Malawi Police Service has declined to comment directly on the fleeing suspects, though local media outlets allege a senior police officer received a MK40 million bribe to protect the identities of those involved in the smuggling operation.
In regulatory enforcement news, the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has ordered mobile network operators TNM and Airtel Malawi to compensate customers by July 31. According to the Nyasa Times, MACRA Director General Mayamiko Nkoloma stated the companies breached Section 76 of the Communications Act of 2016 by raising service tariffs without providing the mandatory seven-day public notice. Customers who purchased data bundles between June 26 and July 2 are eligible for the compensation.
Meanwhile, the Chief Resident Magistrate Court in Mzuzu has sentenced six men to seven years in prison with hard labor for kidnapping and violently assaulting a 35-year-old nurse over a failed K11.8 million business loan, according to Malawi24. In a separate development, Malawi24 reports that the Ministry of Education has issued a formal warning to the public against fraudsters exploiting newly advertised secondary school teaching jobs. The ministry stated that anyone found using personal phone numbers to defraud job applicants will face immediate arrest and prosecution.