A man identified as Innocent Laston Malambo, 40, died while receiving treatment at Rumphi district hospital after being assaulted by an angry mob in Mzimba on suspicion of theft.

Spokesperson for Rumphi police station Sub Inspector Noel Kamchenga stated that the deceased and his friend were noticed trying to remove a battery from a motor vehicle around 2 o’clock in the morning.

The two were reportedly chased by angry villagers, managing to apprehend Malambo and severely assaulting him, while his friend escaped.

Postmortem results revealed that Malambo’s death was due to visceral rupture secondary to blunt abdominal trauma.

Police have initiated an investigation into the matter, seeking to understand the circumstances surrounding the mob attack and the tragic outcome.