By Patience Longwe

Lilongwe, 8 January, mana: The Malawi Police Service has arrested Hastings Dumba, 44, for allegedly for having sexual intercourse with a minor, a 16-year-old standard six girl.

Dumba who is in police custody at Area 3 in Lilongwe, was apprehended on January 4, this year by community policing members at Njewa area when the two were together searching for a house to rent following a decision to relocate from Chinsapo where they stayed for two months as a couple.

It is said that the suspect, who is a panel beater by profession, proposed to the girl at Nsaru Trading Centre in November last year when the victim escorted a friend for shopping.

The suspect promised to take the girl to town same day if she said yes to his marriage proposal, a thing which happened, though without the knowledge of the victim's parents.

During interrogation, the suspect admitted to have stayed with the girl as wife. However, he blamed it on the victim saying being single as he was, he could not resist the girl's approaches that she desperately wanted to stay in town.

After the suspect's arrest, the victim was taken to One Stop Centre at Kamuzu Central Hospital for medical examination where it was also discovered that she was born on December 2, 2008.

The suspect, who hails from Thapaniwa Village, Traditional Authority Nsamala in Balaka District, will appear in court soon to answer a case of Having Sexual Intercourse with a Child.