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Village Headman Arrested for Allegedly Stealing IDs and Illegally Accessing AIP Fertilizer in Malawi
The issue came to light when the villagers attempted to access fertilizer at the Mkumbira Centre and found that five of the IDs had already been scanned.
Malawi: Village Headman Patrick Phiri, also known as Chiwombe, has been arrested and charged with theft by a trick in Nkhata Bay, Malawi. , writes Tionge Hara.
Phiri, a 52-year-old man, is accused of obtaining National Identity Cards from ten villagers while promising to assist them in obtaining government loans through FDH Bank, according to the police.
He allegedly used the IDs to obtain fertiliser through the Affordable Input Program without authorization.
The problem was discovered when the villagers went to the Mkumbira Center to get fertiliser and discovered that five of their IDs had already been scanned.
A connection between the dates Phiri collected the IDs and the scanning date was discovered after more research.
"The suspect has since been charged with theft by the trick and he will appear before the court on January 24, 2023," said Sergeant Kondwani James, a spokesperson for the Nkhata Bay Police station.
To ascertain how many bags of fertiliser were accessed using the stolen IDs, additional investigations are being conducted.