By Stanley Nkhondoyachepa
Police say rumours that some people are going around sucking people’s blood in some parts of the Central Region are false as there is no evidence to substantiate these allegations.
Central Region Acting Commissioner of Police, Evalister Chisale said on Tuesday in Nkhotakota during a stakeholders meeting organised to find a lasting solution to the rumours making rounds in the district.
It is such rumours that recently led to the stoning and subsequent killing of two innocent people who had gone to pray on the mountain on suspicion that they were blood suckers.
Chisale said the Malawi Police (MPS) and Malawi Defence Force (MDF) investigations have revealed that there is nobody in this country involved in blood sucking activities.
“Since the rumor started, a total of nine people have been killed. In Kasungu two of the five people killed, one was a Village Head and the other was a Medical Assistant. These had nothing to do with the so called blood sucking activities.
“And in Dowa, the person who alleged that he had his blood sucked actually had a history of nose bleeding, but after undergoing tests, his blood level was normal and nothing to back his claim was found. In fact, he later confessed that he was lying and that someone had sent him to spread the rumour,” said Chisale.
The Commissioner then called on community leaders to sensitise their people against taking the law into their hands but to love one another, observing that the right to life is fundamental.
She also called upon fellow police officers not to treat people seeking police help as criminals.
“We are public servants and not masters, we need to cooperate with the people who come to seek help from us and not treat them as criminals, she advised.
Head of Criminal Investigation Department for Central Region who only introduced himself as Senior Superintendent Chipole said police were committed to ensuring that those who commit crimes are brought to book.
“We have arrested a total of 37 people in Ntchisi and Kasungu in relation to killings of bloodsucking suspects. We will continue with the arrests and ensure that these people are brought to book,” he said.
One of the participants, Traditional Authority Mwasambo hailed the meeting as a good strategy in dealing with the bloodsucking vice.
He said he would sensitise his community on the dangers of taking the law into their hands since it results in the killing of innocent people.
On his part, Chairperson of Dwangwa Pastors Fraternal, Reverend Francis Chima said the church in conjunction with other stakeholders was better placed to deal with the issue through preaching the message of love as it interacts with people.
The meeting was attended by traditional and religious leaders, Members of Parliament, Ward Councilors, Heads of Government Sectors, and representatives of the business community who came up with an action plan to deal with the issue.
Last week, two people were stoned to death by a mob after suspecting them to be blood suckers. It later dawned that the deceased were businessmen from Dwangwa in the same district and had gone to the mountain for a night of prayer.
It was learnt they had earlier alerted a Mobile network Tower Guard of their mission.-MANA
