Malawi: Zambian Cops Storm Malawi to Recover 20 Stolen Cows
A dramatic cross-border operation saw Zambian police storm into Malawi last week, hunting down a gang accused of rustling 20 cattle from a farmer’s kraal — in a heist that left the victim counting devastating losses worth 116,500 Zambian Kwacha.
The animals vanished without a trace from Kabwanda Village in Chief Tembwe, Chama district, sometime between the night of 30 August and the following morning, leaving farmer Julius Nyirenda staring at an empty kraal and a gut-wrenching loss of his entire herd.
But Zambian investigators weren’t about to let the thieves get away with it.
According to Zambia’s TV Yatu, detective work quickly pointed the finger at Malawian nationals — triggering a daring follow-up operation that crossed straight over the border.
On 16 September, officers from Chama Police Station, led by their Officer in Charge, swept into Kafukule Police Station in Mzimba District, Malawi, where a crucial tip-off finally cracked the case wide open.
The raid paid off in spectacular fashion, with police recovering 15 of the stolen cattle and slapping handcuffs on three Malawian suspects: Justin Phiri, 31, Waluza Mumba, 38, and Daniel Mtonga, 31 — all from Mzimba District.
According to police, the trio didn’t hold back once caught, confessing to stealing all 20 cattle from across the border before handing them over to a mystery figure known only as “Prince.”
In a grim twist, the suspects also admitted one of the stolen cows had already met its fate — slaughtered for a braai, with the carcass reportedly left in Prince’s possession.
The rest of the herd, meanwhile, had been deliberately scattered across separate kraals in a desperate bid to cover the gang’s tracks.
But it wasn’t enough — the trail eventually led both Zambian and Malawian police straight to the missing animals.
In a small silver lining, one cow had already found its own way home, after Nyirenda personally tracked it down near the Malawi-Zambia border — bringing the total number of recovered cattle to 16.
All three suspects have now been jointly charged and arrested for possession of livestock believed to have been stolen outside Malawi, and are expected to appear before the Magistrate Court.
Once the case has been heard, police say arrangements will be made to hand the recovered cattle back to Nyirenda, with officers escorting the herd safely back across the border into Zambia.
Police credited the successful recovery to the close working relationship between Zambian and Malawian law enforcement — along with crucial tip-offs from residents living along the porous border.
By Nyasa Times.
