Police in Phalombe have arrested a 16-year old girl for concealing birth.
According to Sergeant Jimmy Kapanja Public Relations Officer for Phalombe Police Station, the suspect ( Name withheld) hails from Mkhumba Village, Traditional Authority Mkhumba in the district.
Facts surrounding the case are that, in mid May, 2023, the suspect left her parents and went to stay with her friend at Sakhome Village, Traditional Authority Mkhumba in same District.
By the time the suspect went to her friend, she was pregnant but she did not tell any one even her own mother when she left her home.
The suspect’s friend and her mother did not know about the suspect’s status.
The suspect had been staying with her friend until June 12, 2023, when she began to act strangely.
On that material day she did not take supper and around 21:00 hours she was frequently visiting the toilet.
Upon being interrogated by the mother of her friend if she was sick she said she was fine.
On her last visit to the toilet, she took long and the friend together with her mother followed her and suddenly they heard a cry of the newly born baby from the pit.
After hearing the sound the friend and her mother quickly went into the toilet where they saw a newly born baby inside the pit.
To their surprise, they found her lying helplessly on the floor closer to the pit with blood all over her body.
They immediately realized that the suspect had dumped a baby into the pit and later they reported the matter to Phalombe Police Station.
Meanwhile, the suspect and the baby are admitted to Phalombe District Hospital for medical examination and treatment. When the suspect gets better will appear in court to answer the charges of concealing birth.
