Police in Lilongwe have recovered seven tonnes of assorted cables worth K352 million belonging to Malawi Telecommunications Limited (MTL) and Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom).

In a statement issued yesterday, Lilongwe Police Station deputy spokesperson Foster Benjamin said two people have since been arrested in connection with the matter.

The recovered cables heaped at Lilongwe Police Station
He said police were tipped off on Tuesday that one of the suspects was loading the cables into a van at her house in Likuni Township in Lilongwe City.

Benjamin said: “Detectives followed up and found the van loaded with assorted cables and wires belonging to the two utility companies.

“They impounded the vehicle bearing a South African registration number, and brought it to Lilongwe Police Station.”

He said the two suspects, who presented themselves to police,  have since been charged with being found in possession of property suspected to have been stolen and will appear in court soon.

MTL and Escom have in recent years reported an increase in vandalism of their installations in the country. The situation has resulted in poor service delivery in the affected places.

Last month, residents at Khwisa Trading Centre in Balaka arrested people who were dismounting an Escom transformer.

The suspects included Escom employees based in Balaka.

Meanwhile, Lilongwe Police Station has intensified patrols in the city to reduce cases of theft and vandalism of public and private facilities.