Police in Chikwawa are hunting for thugs who hit a culvert under construction on Thabwa-Fatima road, making off with a heavy duty battery after they failed to steal a generator.
According to Chikwawa police public relations officer, Foster Benjamin, the incident occurred in the wee hours of Sunday at Kasokeza Village graveyard.
“A three-man guard under China Railway Engineering Group got alert after a suspicious car went past them, pulling over a few yards away.
“A dozen men armed with pangas and stones made a swift attack, charging towards a genset and battery,”explained Benjamin.
The guards fought back, throwing more stones from their catapults, and hit one robber who had already shouldered a genset.
The thug is said to have been dispossessed and took to his heels, joining fellow bandits as they made their escape.
Police arrived at the scene and found that one battery that was being used for powering compressor was missing.
A manhunt for the suspects is underway.
