Two arrested for over murder of son

Police in Salima have arrested a couple on suspicion that they murdered their three-year-old son in order to save their marriage.
Salima Police Publicist, Jacob Khembo identified the couple as Stain Chingwege, 32 and Mtisunge Banda 22.
Khembo said the incident happened on August 12, 2020 at Mangwe village around Kaphatenga area where the couple is believed to have agreed to murder the child ‘because Chingwege did not like the step son.’
“The deceased was a step son to Chingwege while Banda was the biological mother. The father is reported to have been unhappy with the child and asked the wife to take the child to his biological father or to any of the relatives,” said Khembo.
He said the family has been having quarrels now and then because of the child and resorted to killing him so as to save their marriage, which the mother agreed.
Said Khembo: “The two killed the child and buried him in a bushy area around the fields. People from the area became suspicious when they saw dogs with decomposed human parts and reported the matter to police."
He added: “When police visited the scene, Ireen Milward, grandmother to the deceased told the law enforcers that she noticed that her grandson has been missing for some time and became suspicious that her daughter might have killed her son.”
Banda is reported to have revealed the ordeal to police that they indeed killed their son on agreement with her husband.
Preliminary postmortem results released by medical officers from Salima district hospital showed that death was due to strangulation secondary to suffocation according to Khembo.
The two will appear in court soon to answer charges of murder which is contrary to section 209 of the penal code.
Both suspects come from Mangwe village in the area of Traditional Authority Salima in the district.