Spokesperson for Lilongwe Police Inspector Hestings Chigalu has identified the suspects as John Umali, Francis Macley, and Trevor Chagunda.

According to Chigalu,on Monday, September 11, 2023, the station’s vehicle patrol team, while moving around town at around 22:30 hours, spotted a Daihatsu Mira vehicle registration number NE 10166 that was coming from Area 36, joining the By-pass road before Malaina T-junction.

Becoming suspicious with the way the vehicle was moving, the police team followed it up, and intercepted it.

Chigalu added that immediately the officers impounded the vehicle and arrested three occupants after one had immediately vanished from the scene.

Upon searching the vehicle at the station, police found 2 brand new panga knives, Lenovo laptop, wrappers (zitenje), stethoscope, among others.

While police were still searching and interrogating the suspects, a certain woman arrived with a complaint claiming that she had been robbed of K507, 000 and a cellphone by the four criminals, who attacked her at a graveyard near Lilongwe Girls Secondary School.

The woman had boarded the suspect’s vehicle behind Lilongwe Bus depot, operating as a taxi heading Thanki stage in Biwi township.

The lady was on her way to Dedza from Mchinji, When taken to check with the three suspects, if they were among those who attacked her, the woman ably identified the criminals.

And just few minutes later, another woman (nurse), also came and reported about a similar attack.

Again, the nurse was able to recognize suspects’ faces and her items that included a laptop, one cellphone, stethoscope and medical drugs which they had robbed her.

Meanwhile, police investigation has established that the first suspect, John Umali, is an ex-convict from Maula Prison, who was pardoned last year he was serving a 4-year sentence for the offence of robbery.

Meanwhile, the station’s detectives have intensified manhunt for the fourth suspect who is at large, and efforts to recover the stolen money is underway

John Umali is 24 years-old hails from Chomba Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Nsamala, Balaka, Francis Macley  is 23 years-old comes from Namazuma Village, T/A Mabuka, Mulanje, whilst Trevor Chagunda is 32 hails from Namakhwa Village, T/A Chikowi in Zomba District.