Police in Mponela are looking for unknown people who raped and brutally killed an 18-year old sex worker.

The murder occurred during the night of 26-27 April 2020 at Mponela Village near new Mponela Magistrate Court in the area of Traditional Authority Mponela in Dowa District.

The sex worker is identified is Gertrude Chitenje, 18, of Njati Village in the area of Traditional Authority Kayembe in the district.

The body of the deceased was found near the village graveyard.

Facts are that Chitenje (deceased) got married to a certain man who was a mechanic in Mponela Trading Centre. On April 13 ,2020 the two got separated due to family issues. Later the deceased rented a house and started engaging in prostitution at Mponela Trading Centre.

It is further rumoured that on Sunday, 26 April ,2020 at around 20:00 hrs Getrude hooked unidentified man whom she would go out with to unknown destinations.

On Monday, April 27,2020 at around 09:40 hrs she was found lying dead while naked.

The matter was reported to Mponela Police Station where scene of crime was visited by CID personnel in the company of a clinical officer from Mponela Rural Hospital who pronounced death as due to suffocation secondary to strangulation.