Police in the lakeshore district of Nkhata Bay are keeping in custody a 27year old woman for brutally killing her 64 year old mother in-law.

Confirming the sad news to Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Monday, Nkhata Bay Police Spokesperson Sergeant Ignatius Esau said that Sylvia Chirwa allegedly stabbed and killed Leah Banda at around 8 O’clock in the evening on Sunday whilst she was asleep in her house.

“Sylvia Chirwa was once married to the deceased’s son who lives in South Africa. They were married for nine years and together they have a five year old daughter. But due to some problems, the two divorced and she was sent back home from South Africa,” Sergeant Esau explained.

Sergeant Esau said that the son then later asked his mother (now deceased) to find him another woman to marry. The mother found another woman for her son and that did not please the estranged wife.

“Reports suggest that the suspect after coming back from South Africa had been threatening to deal with the deceased because she believed that her ex-mother in-law had a hand in the breakup of her marriage,” he narrated.

“She stabbed the deceased in the stomach before stabbing her four times at the back using a knife,” Sergeant Esau said.

Lloyd Nkhata, another son to the deceased, reported the matter to police. Police and medical personnel rushed to the scene.

Sergeant Esau disclosed that the deceased died while she was being taken to Nkhata Bay District Hospital.

Postmortem that was conducted revealed that she died due to internal bleeding.

Reports say that after accomplishing her mission, the assailant sought help from a witch doctor in an effort to dodge the long arm of the law but still she was arrested.

“We have managed to arrest the suspect but the knife that was used is yet to be recovered. Once investigations into the matter are over, Chirwa will be taken to court to answer a murder charge which is contrary to section 209 of the penal code,” he said.

Both the suspect and the deceased come from Chibwana village in Traditional Authority Mankhambira in Nkhata Bay district.mana