Police officers in the wildlife and enviromental crime investigation unit received a tip-off that a man identified as Zakeyu Lingison Pitala, 35, a business man at Lobi trading centre was offering the animal for sale at the said market.

After following up on the information provided, police officers then succeeded in apprehending the suspect and confiscating the pangolin.

The suspect is expected to appear in Dedza Senior Resident Magistrate’s court to answer a charge of possession of a listed species contrary to section 86 subsection (1) as read with section 110 B of National Parks and Wildlife Act of 2017.

The scaled mammal is listed under protected species, as numbers have dwindled due to poaching.

A charge of possession of a listed species attracts the maximum sentence of 30 years imprisonment with hard labour.

The suspect hails from Mtengowagwa village in traditional authority Kachere in Dedza.

According to the National Geographic, Pangolin scales, like rhino horn, have no proven medicinal value, yet they are used in traditional Chinese medicine to help with ailments ranging from lactation difficulties to arthritis.

The scales typically dried and ground up into powder, which may be turned into a pill.