By Hastings Yobe
Police in Mzuzu have arrested three men and fatally shot a fourth suspect in connection with a series of armed robberies and a murder that occurred in various parts of the city, including the recent K6 million robbery of a local Airtel Money agent.
According to a crime progress report dated May 13, 2025, Mzuzu Police detectives, acting on intelligence, apprehended Elia Revson, 30, of Mateke Village, T/A Msakambewa in Dowa District, who was driving a blue Toyota Vitz (registration NA 6601) in Katoto Location. Revson is suspected of being part of a criminal gang responsible for a violent robbery on May 10 in Liwinga Location, where Mr. Andrew Kamtona, 36, was robbed at gunpoint.
Revson allegedly confessed to the crime and implicated three accomplices: Jimmy Nyirenda, 36, of Karonga District; Jimmy Stone, 42, also from Karonga; and Patrick Phiri, 29, of Swaswa Village, T/A Mzukuzuku in Mzimba District — the latter of whom was fatally shot by police during an attempted escape.
Police recovered a laptop bag stolen during the robbery, an unidentified pistol loaded with six live rounds (believed to be 4.5 AUTO ACP), and 52 additional rounds concealed in a mattress. These items were found in a house linked to the suspects in Mzuzu.
Further investigations led police to Sozibere Lines, where the late Patrick Phiri was reportedly supervising renovations at a newly purchased house. When confronted, Phiri fled, prompting officers to fire warning shots. A third shot struck him in the back of the head. He was pronounced dead upon arrival at Mzuzu District Hospital.
In continued interrogations, the suspects reportedly admitted involvement in two other major crimes:
An armed robbery on April 24 in Mapale Location, where Mr. Hasim Irfan, a 20-year-old Indian businessman, was robbed of K100 million after gunshots were fired at the scene.
The March 27 murder and robbery of Mr. Chiukepo Sichali, a prominent businessman in Mchengautuba, where K200,000 was stolen. Forensic tests suggest the same firearm was used in all three incidents.
Police also recovered property believed to have been purchased using proceeds from these crimes, including two mattresses, a home theatre system, a 42-inch plasma TV, 40 bags of cement, and two residential plots in Mzuzu and Kasungu. Additionally, four t-shirts branded with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) logo were found in the deceased suspect’s home.
The suspects are currently in police custody as investigations continue. Authorities have pledged to recover all proceeds of the crimes and ensure justice is served.
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