Police in Lilongwe have arrested 28-year-old Dalitso Peter on suspicion of stealing a motorcycle and holding a man hostage.

According to Hastings Chigalu, spokesperson for Lilongwe Police, Peter, along with two accomplices, stole a bicycle and sold it to another individual for K500,000. However, the buyer, after being advised by the chief of a neighboring village near Natural Resources College, reported the matter to the police.

When the suspects realized the buyer was not delivering the money or returning the bicycle, they abducted his younger brother and held him at Diamphwi. The suspects then called the victim’s family, demanding either the bicycle or the money and threatening to kill the hostage if their demands were not met.

The victim’s relatives, together with community security members, traced the suspects under the pretense of delivering the ransom. Upon seeing the security team, two of the suspects fled, but Peter was apprehended and severely beaten by the crowd before being handed over to the police.

Peter, a resident of Geya Village in Salima, is now in police custody, while authorities continue the search for his accomplices.