The Nayumbu second grade magistrate court in Machinga has sentenced Mike Mustafa to 20 months imprisonment with hard labour for impersonating police officer.

Mustafa 44, was on Wednesday found guilty of impersonation, contrary to section 99 of the penal code.

The court through the state prosecutor Inspector Cliff Kawala, said that on 4 May this year the convict went to group village Headman Nakhove while posing himself as the detective police officer from Ntaja police.

he said he he wanted to arrest the traditional leader whom he said had been named in the graveyard trespassing case.

He further claimed that the village head and others asked the purported police officer to produce his working Identity Card (ID) and instead produced a Mozambican boarder pass.

Mustafa went on demanding cash from the chief claiming he would not arrest him.

This, however forced the villagers to apprehend the convict and handed him over to Ntaja Police.

When taken before court, Mustafa denied the charge and the charge and the state paraded 4b witnesses to prove its case.

In his mitigation, Mustafa asked the court to be lenient with him as he is a first offender and a breadwinner in his family.

in his submission, prosecutor Kalawa told the court that many people have lost items in such a way and this tarnishes the image of Malawi Police Service hence the need to impose a meaningful punishment.

Mustafa comes from Mwitiya village in the area of Tradition Authority salley inMachinga district.