38-year-old Joseph James tragically lost his life in Ntcheu, following a violent assault by several community members in the area of Traditional Authority Makwangwala. The incident took place at Bawi stores on Thursday, as confirmed by Ntcheu Police spokesperson Rabecca Ndiwate.

According to Ndiwate, the unfortunate confrontation occurred when James confronted Rajab Rajan, accusing him of being in a relationship with James’ 17-year-old daughter and allegedly abducting her. Eyewitness accounts suggest that upon James’ arrival, he used a panga knife to hack Rajab on the arm. Rajab’s cries for help attracted people nearby, who intervened and subjected James to a severe assault.

James was rushed to Ntcheu district hospital but, tragically, succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment. The postmortem conducted at the hospital revealed that his cause of death was attributed to hypovolemic shock resulting from severe head injuries.

Police has since launched a manhunt for the suspects.