MAN ARRESTED FOR FAKING DEATH AFTER RECEIVING K30,000 FRA PAYMENT IN SOLWEZI
Police in Solwezi have arrested a 29-year-old man of Kalumbila for allegedly faking his death after receiving about K30,000 from the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) for maize he supplied to the agency.
In a statement, North-Western Province police commanding officer Brighton Siwale identified the suspect as Chipango Chitumbo, who allegedly caused panic last Thursday when he purportedly dived into the Solwezi River.
Mr Siwale said the incident triggered a search operation for Chitumbo’s body, which was unsuccessful. During the search, police officers recovered a pair of baby shoes, a SIM card and a national registration card (NRC) concealed in a plastic bag on the Solwezi River Bridge.
“After three days of searching, the suspect was discovered on Sunday at Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church in Zambia Township, where he was apprehended,” Mr Siwale said.
A family member told the Daily Mail yesterday that Chitumbo had recently received K26,000 from the FRA, after which his behaviour reportedly changed. The source said his wife pressured him to keep the money at their house, a proposal he allegedly did not agree with.
According to the family, Chitumbo later sent a series of voice notes to relatives expressing distress and threatening to end his life. Concern heightened after reports emerged that his personal items had been found at the Solwezi River Bridge, sparking speculation that he had jumped into the river. Some family members rushed to the scene and identified the items as belonging to him.
Mr Siwale said the matter was reported to police on Thursday by Chitumbo’s father-in-law, Jones Chipimo, who informed officers that the suspect had sent an audio message on the family WhatsApp group indicating plans to commit suicide in the Solwezi River.
Police have since charged Chitumbo with conduct likely to cause the breach of peace, and investigations are ongoing.