Asif Master, 37, was found guilty and sentenced to 11 years in jail with hard labor by the Mangochi Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court for setting fire to his boss’s shop and destroying property valued at K650 million after stealing K45 million through gambling.
Inspector Amos Mwase, the Station’s Prosecution Officer, testified in court that Master was dependent on DBR and Aviator betting while employed as a manager at Steel World Shop in Mangochi.
The shop’s owner, Safraz Ibrahim, is based in Blantyre. He saw that the convict was losing money frequently, so he told him that he would send auditors and install CCTV cameras in the shop. This made the convict very afraid, and he wasted K45 million from the sales.
This development led the prisoner to hire James Mayere, his store assistant, who is still at large, and pay him K1.5 million via Airtel Money to burn the business on fire in order to hide the evidence.
Prosecutor Mwase continued, saying that in the wee hours of April 22, 2024, following the shop’s guard’s departure, Mayere was observed fleeing by the rear window after detonating a petrol bomb, setting the establishment on fire. The attempts of well-wishers to put out the fire were unsuccessful as it swiftly spread throughout the entire space.
After receiving a report on the issue, the police responded to the spot and found the missing suspect’s footprints and cap. After the prisoner was unable to provide an explanation for his large money transfer to Mayere, police launched an investigation that resulted in his detention.
When the prisoner appeared in court and was given the opportunity to minimize his sentence—he had pled guilty to charges of arson and theft by servant—the court was taken aback when he claimed he had nothing to say.
Prosecutor Mwase stated in his statement that the defendant’s callous actions have traumatized his boss, who has suffered significant financial losses in the company and is therefore pleading for a jail sentence.
Senior Resident Magistrate Muhammad Chande agreed with the state and passed punishment.
As a result, he gave him a seven-year term for arson and a four-year sentence with hard labor for the second offense in order to discourage future unreliable subordinates. Every statement will flow one after the other.
The offender hails from India.
remaining in Mangochi Abdullah Nandi, 38, was detained by police in Namwera, Mangochi, on suspicion of hurting Major Majid, a 20-year-old suspected criminal. After spotting Majid taking tomatoes from his garden, Nandi allegedly tied Majid to his Ford Courier and pulled him down the street.
The tragedy happened in Mkambiri hamlet, Traditional Authority Bwananyambi in Mangochi, early on March 24, 2024.
A video recording of Nandi and his companions torturing Majid by pulling him behind the car as punishment went viral on social media, alerting the police to the crime.
When Namwera detectives found out where the event had occurred, they moved quickly to arrest Nandi.
Initial inquiries reveal that earlier in the day, Majid was apprehended pilfering tomatoes from Nandi’s garden. After that, he was carried to the Masuku Police Unit by torture down an earth road about 200 meters distant. But fearing being discovered by the public, the culprits untied Majid as they came to a junction close to the tarmac road.
Majid was sent to Namwera Health Centre for medical attention after sustaining severe bruises.
Acts designed to cause grave hurt in violation of Penal Code section 235 have been brought against Nandi. When all the paperwork is finished, he will show up in court.
The district’s police are cautioning the people against enforcing the law on their own in an attempt to stop such grave crimes.
The victim and the suspect are from Mangochi’s Mkambiri village, which is part of Traditional Authority Bwananyambi.
details of the story provided by Mangochi Police Station Public Relations Officer Inspector Amina Tepani Daudi.
