Malawi: The Malawi Police arrested a 27-year-old for possessing a small gun without a valid ID. The individual had been identified as Chipiliro Kachep and was captured from Chilipa, Mangochi district
Police officials stated that the Kachep was caught red-handed carrying a bag with a gun and a single bullet. However, the investigation is ongoing to discover his intentions of possessing a non-licensed weapon.
The suspect has a previous criminal record with the district law enforcement agencies. Mangochi police spokesperson Amina Tepani Daudi shared the details of the arrest on Friday.
She said that the police authorities arrested Chipiliro Kachepa on Thursday. At the time, the suspect was visiting his in-laws in the village of Nkasowanjobvu.
“People in the village saw him carrying a bag, which made them suspicious, and when they told the police they followed him and found him with the gun and one bullet,” said Daudi.
Further, sources of Malawi police have revealed that the suspect, Kachepa, is wanted by the Ntcheu police in connection with a robbery. The robbery in question was committed some months back. The police force has not revealed the exact date or time of the previous offence.
The officials revealed that Chipiliro Kachepa will appear in court to answer the charges of possession of firearms without a permit. The date for the court hearing will be revealed at a later date. The court will decide the duration and nature of Kachepa’s sentence during this hearing.
Notably, the Malawi law allow for possession of firearms under the assumption that the carrier has a valid ID and license for possession. If an individual is found in possession of an illegal firearm and cannot produce valid paperwork for the weapon ID and permits, they can get a sentence of up to fourteen years in prison.
Meanwhile, the people of Mangochi have congratulated the police officials for their success in arresting the individual. Some even criticized the suspect for having an unlicensed gun in his possession.
A social media user asserted, “The problem in Malawi is that we don’t want to keep guns for self defence, but to break into other people’s houses.”
Meanwhile, many people also supported the youngster for keeping the weapon. This section of the people assumed that the 27 year old had a gun purely for self defence purposes.
