By Shaffie A Mtambo
Police in Mangochi have arrested a 42-year-old ex-convict, Wisiki Kaunda, for possessing three military handcuffs allegedly stolen from Mangochi Prison Services while serving a five-year sentence for burglary.
Speaking with 247 Malawi News, Mangochi Police Public Relations Officer Inspector Amina Tepani Daudi says on February 6, 2025, detectives received a tip from community members that the suspect was in possession of military equipment, which he allegedly used to terrorize residents.
Acting on the information, officers raided Kaunda’s house, where they discovered three handcuffs hidden in a laptop bag and subsequently arrested him.
During interrogation, Kaunda, who was recently released from prison, confessed to unlawfully obtaining the handcuffs from a storeroom at Mangochi Prison. He explained that while serving his sentence, he was assigned cleaning duties in the storeroom, which he used as an opportunity to steal the handcuffs.
He buried them under a tree outside the prison premises while working on a farming assignment. Upon his release in July last year, he retrieved the handcuffs and began using them.
Prison authorities have positively identified both the suspect and the recovered handcuffs.
Kaunda is expected to appear in court once paperwork is completed, where he will face charges of unlawful possession of military equipment and theft.
He hails from Kalonga Village, under Traditional Authority Mapira in Mangochi.
