Police in Thyolo District on Tuesday afternoon fired tear gas to disperse angry mob that wanted to kill a woman suspected to be a witch.

Police Mobile Force (PMF) B Company from Limbe was called to beef up man power due to the angry mob which had running battles with Police for almost two hours.

Thyolo Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) Amosi Tione said the bone of contention was that a 21-year-old Gift Yotamu from Kalilombe Village, Traditional Authority (TA) Nchiramwera went missing after he drowned in Nchima Estate Fargo dam on Sunday.

He said while villagers were still searching for the dead body, a woman identified as Ireen Mwangata alleged that her friend bewitched Yotamu to drown in the said dam and this prompted villagers to deal with her.

“Facts are that on September 6, 2020 during day time, the missing person and his five friends went to swim in the said dam. In the course of swimming, he drowned and sunk down. Up-to-date the dead body has not yet been found and the villagers are still searching for it.

“People got angry with what Mwangata said hence wanted to revenge his death and kill her but luckily enough the police was called in to rescue her,” Tione said.

He said meanwhile Police have arrested Mwangata and other five people for the offence of conduct likely to cause a breach of law contrary to section 181 of the penal code.

Village Headman Molande said Mwangata would not have survived had the Police not responded quickly.

“After sensing danger Mwangata came to my house around midday to seek refuse and when people noticed that she is at my house all of them rounded my house demanding the release of the suspect.

“When they started breaking my house it’s when I called the Police for help and luckily they responded quickly. This is how we have managed to save life from the irate villagers,” he said.

Molande said what happened in his village was traumatizing and has so far condemned his subjects for displaying bad conduct by taking laws into their own hands.