Dowa police is keeping a 60-year-old man custody for raping his friend’s four-year-old child.

According to Dowa Police Public Relations Officer Sub Inspector Gladson M’bumpha, the suspect has been identified as Stuwart Banda from Chinkhadze Village in the area of Traditional Authority Chiwere.

M’bumpha said the victim went to watch a football match at Chinkhadze Village alongside her friends around 4PM on Sunday, April 5 2020 until darkness fell.

“The suspect who is a friend to the victim’s father told the victim that he would carry her on the bicycle to his parents of which the victim did not hesitate since she knew the suspect.”

“On the way home, the suspect took the victim to a certain bush and defiled her,” said M’bumpha.

The man then handed the girl over to her parents. Upon seeing her mother, the victim started crying and she revealed about the sexual abuse.

The matter was reported to police where the victim was given a medical report for examination at Mvera Health Centre and the medical results proved that the girl was indeed defiled.

This led to the arrest of the suspect and he will appear before court soon to answer a charge of defilement contrary to Section 138 of the Penal Code.