First Grade Magistrate Court sitting at Mponela in Dowa on Friday convicted and sentenced 32-year-old Ali Maulana to five years Imprisonment with hard labour for burglary and theft.
Mponela Police Public Relations Officer Macpatson Msadala said the court heard through State Prosecutor Sub Inspector Ophia Ng’ambi that Maulana committed the offences during the night of May 21, 2024 when he broke into the house of a complainant.
“The complainant was sleeping in her house and when she woke up, she realized that some of her properties had gone missing. These included a bicycle, 80 kilograms (kgs) of tobacco, 50 kgs of soybean, and a half bag of maize flour all valued at K480 000.
“However, on July 17, the brother to the complainant saw Maulana offering on sale a bicycle which he recognized as the stolen one, hence his arrest and recovery of some properties,” said Msadala.
Msadala added saying in court, Maulana pleaded not guilty to the charge of burglary and theft to which the state paraded three witnesses who helped to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, hence the conviction.
In submission, the state asked the court to pronounce a stiffer sentence to the convict to deter other would-be offenders.
Maulana in mitigation asked the court for leniency arguing he is a breadwinner for his family.
“Magistrate Talakwanji Mndala concurred with the state’s submission and slapped the convict with five years for burglary and 18 months for theft, which will run concurrently,” said Msadala.
Maulana hails from Chinkhali village, Traditional Authority Mponela in Dowa.
Source:Mana
