By Santos Zefania

Lilongwe, May 24, Mana: Police in Lilongwe have arrested three women for allegedly orchestrating a burglary in Area 36 on May 19, 2025.

According to Lilongwe Police Public Relations Officer, Hastings Chigalu, the suspects have been identified as Chimwemwe Chembe, 39, Elizabeth Mkwezalamba, 36, and Memory Elias, 46. The trio reportedly hired three criminals to assist in stealing household items, including a deep freezer, an upright fridge, a mattress, beddings, and a microwave.

Chigalu explained that the first suspect, Chimwemwe, had been residing in a house whose owner had temporarily relocated to Blantyre for work, leaving behind some belongings locked in a separate room.

“Three days before the burglary, Chimwemwe approached Elizabeth and the two conspired to break into the room and steal a microwave,” said Chigalu. “However, Chimwemwe went ahead alone, broke into the room without Elizabeth’s knowledge, and sold the microwave for K30,000.”

After discovering that she had been left out of the scheme, Elizabeth allegedly decided to organize a larger burglary without Chimwemwe’s involvement. She then approached the third suspect, Memory Elias, asking her to help identify criminals for the job and to store the stolen items temporarily, since Elizabeth’s husband would not approve of keeping them in their home.

“Memory agreed and recruited three men to carry out the burglary, including her own son,” Chigalu added.

On the day of the incident, at around 17:00 hours, Elizabeth reportedly brought the criminals to the house under the pretense of inspecting the targeted items. The same night, at around midnight, the suspects returned and carried out the burglary.

The arrest of the three women was made on Thursday following a tip-off from well-wishers. Meanwhile, the three male accomplices remain at large and are currently being pursued by police.