A 35-year old man has been found dead at a forest in Chitipa, over two months after he went to the forest for prayer and fasting.

The forest is at Mbula Hill in the area of Traditional Authority Mwaulambia in Chitipa district.

According to Chitipa police station public relations officer Sub inspector Gladwell Simwaka, the man has been identified as Anest Banda.

Simwaka said the man’s body was found on September 9, 2020 at Chafunila village in the same area.

“It is reported that the deceased went missing from home in June this year,” Simwaka said.

He added that on September 9 at about 11A.M, hunters from the area found the man’s body on the hill in a decomposed state.

Postmortem results from health personnel showed that death was due to starvation.

The law enforcers believe that the man went to the forest for prayers and fasting.

Meanwhile, police in the district are advising people to always inform their relatives or accompany other members when going out for prayers to avoid similar incidents.

Banda hailed from Asayile village in Traditional Authority Mwaulambia in Chitipa district.