A 27-year-old woman of Kabulamwanda area, Choobwa Village, Chief Mungaila, in Namwala District of Southern Province, has allegedly been raped and gruesomely murdered by her 17-year-old husband’s nephew of the same area.
According to Southern Province Police Commissioner Auxensio Daka, the matter was reported by the deceased’s husband, aged 29.
Police reports indicate that on the day of the incident, around 07:00 hours, the husband left home for work, leaving behind his wife, their one year old daughter, and his two nephews, aged 17 and 13, who live in a separate house within the same yard.
Upon returning home around 12:40 hours, the husband found the main house door unlocked and discovered his wife lying in a pool of blood, half-dressed. An axe and a pounding stick, both stained with blood, were found beside her body.
Mr. Daka stated that police officers visited the scene and confirmed the report. The body of the deceased had multiple deep cuts on the head and signs of sexual assault. A trail of blood was observed leading from the main house to the house where the two nephews sleep.
Inside that house, officers found blood-stained clothes suspected to belong to the 17-year-old juvenile, along with a tight-fitting undergarment (cycling short) belonging to the deceased.
Preliminary investigations further revealed that the suspect went to school in the morning but later complained of feeling unwell and was allowed to return home around 10:00 hours. It is alleged that it was during this time that he returned home and committed the offence.
The body of the deceased has since been deposited at Namwala District Hospital Mortuary, awaiting a postmortem examination.
A case docket has been opened, and a manhunt for the suspect, who is currently on the run, has been launched.
By Helga Chibwe
