By Sylvester Kumwenda

Dowa, August 15, Mana: Police in Dowa have arrested five people suspected to have murdered Ephraim Fradson aged 18 on August 7, 2024, at Mgwandali village, on suspicion that the deceased was dating a girl which one of the suspects was also in love with.

Dowa Police Station Public Relations Officer, Alice Sitima has identified the suspects as Malekano Julius aged 22, Stonard James aged 21, Mavuto John, 30, Misheck Julius aged, 24, and 18-year-old Yudas James.

Sitima said the father of the deceased reported that the victim had on the day attended a chieftaincy ceremony in Chiwale village.

'Fradson had attended a chieftaincy ceremony earlier in the day but was later found lying in a pool of blood by Isiah Matison, who had noticed a group of children gathered in a certain area.

"Witnesses reported that four individuals had assaulted Fradson, leaving him unconscious. Eventually, Fradson's relatives rushed him to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival," he said.

Sitima said postmortem results revealed that the cause of death was a head injury and basal skull fracture.

"Police investigations led to the arrest of the suspects who will appear before court soon to answer a murder charge levelled against them," she said.

All the suspects hail from Goma village, Traditional Authority Msakambewa in Dowa district.