Three female shoplifters in Mangochi have been convicted and sentenced to 1 and 2 years imprisonment with hard labor by the Mangochi Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court for stealing from various Chipiku Stores contrary to section 278 of the Penal Code.
This happened on Thursday, January 27th 2022 as confirmed by Mangochi Police Public Relations Officer Sub Inspector Amina Tepani Daudi.
The three, Daina Thukuwa, 58 will serve 1 year while Fatsani Kanyenda, 36 and Magret Malora, 36 each will be behind bars for two years.
The court heard through state prosecutor Sub Inspector Maggie Chibulire that, the first convict is a biological mother of the second convict and are family friends with the third convict and come to Mangochi from Blantyre on December 17, 2021 as they lodged at one of the rest houses confessed to be well trained shoplifters.
They used to hide the stolen items between their thighs and bras while dressed in oversized clothes as they targeted three Chipiku Stores in the district.
They stole various groceries including cooking oils, motor vehicle oils, kiwi shoe polish, Nido powder milk, lotions, washing and bathing soaps all of them worth 1.5 million kwacha.
Appearing in court, they all pleaded not guilty to the charge which prompted the state to parade three witnesses who proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.
In mitigation, the convicts who demonstrated how they used to break away without being caught asked for the court’s leniency, citing that their children would suffer if sent to prison to the disagreement of the state who through prosecutor Chibulire said women are respected in the society and their behavior is a disgrace to entire womanhood and cannot be tolerated hence prayed for a stiffer penalty.
Passing judgement, Senior Resident Magistrate Rodrick Michongwe concurred with the state and slapped the first convict to 1-year while second and third convicts each to 2 years imprisonment with hard labor to serve as a lesson to other would be offenders.
First and second convicts hail from Kachikuni Village, Traditional Authority Nsamala in Balaka while Malora comes from Njema Village in the area of Traditional Authority Mabuka in Mulanje
