Police at Monkey Bay in Mangochi are keeping in custody a 27-year-old man identified as Macdonald Baluti on suspicion that he vandalised and stole MTL cables worth K300 thousand.

According to the Station’s spokesperson, Sergeant Alice Sichali, one of the villagers went to his garden and was surprised to see three men including the suspect in the garden digging.

She said after he confronted them, the suspects said were MTL personnel trying to elect a beacon, but he became suspicious and sneaked to the village where he informed the community policing members, who mobilized and arrest the suspect while his accomplices escaped.

Baluti will appear before court soon as police launches a search for his friends.