Mangochi Police have arrested a South African citizen over theft by public servant.

FaceofMalawi speaking to Mangochi Police Public Relations Officer, Rodrick Maida said the suspect has been identified as Ruan de Klerk, aged 21.

De Klerk was arrested on Monday at Lichinga in Mozambique as he attempted to proceed to Tanzania, revealed the officer.

Maida further revealed that the suspect was employed as an assistant manager at Fort Johnstone Hotel where he was entrusted with a lot of responsibilities including handling money for the hotel business.

“When everything seemed to be progressing well, on November 2 the de Klerk decided to sneak out of the business premises and did not return which raised suspicion to the wife of the owner of the hotel,” he said.

“Mrs. Dorothy Amin, therefore, took a step further to check in his office where she discovered that an amount of K500, 000 had been stolen from an open cash chest,” said Maida.

He said de Klerk’s employers suspected that he had through Mozambique on his way to Tanzania since at some point he had been overheard telling his colleagues that one day he would want to go that country.

“We, therefore, informed our counterparts in Mozambique who arrested him in Lichinga Province on November 2. He was sent back to Malawi yesterday,” Maida added.

The police publicist claimed that the suspect admitted the charge when cautioned to have stolen the money to use it as transport money to Tanzania where he would seek green pasture.

Maida further told our FOM reporters that the suspect is currently being held at Mangochi Police Station waiting to appear before the court of law to answer charges of theft by public servant which is contrary to section 286 (1) of the penal code.

Theft by servant can attract a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment with hard labour if one is found liable and convicted of the same.