Malawi Police arrest commander of ’11 Bongos’ gang

Malawi Police in the capital Lilongwe  say they have arrested a senior commander of the criminal gang called ‘11 Bongos’.

The notorious youth criminal group has carried out banditry and anti-social attack in Area 36 of Lilongwe.

Lilongwe Police Public Relations Officer Kingsley Dandaula has said t the arrested commander is identified as ‘Amoni’ and comes from Kaondo village in senior traditional authority Tsabango in Lilongwe.

He however confirmed reports that the group has for so long been breaching people’s peace through beatings, theft, pick pocketing and snatching various peoples belongings in broad day light.

“We have arrested 11 Bongos master Amoni on several offences, we are yet track down another man believed to be the groups’ second in command,” said Dandaula as reported by Mana.

Other people however say the sought second general has taken over the leadership and collecting market fee at St. Johns market, which the Lilongwe City Council deem illegal market.

Ganizani Kalumbu, a fruits seller, claimed that a strange group of boys have been collecting K 100 from each vendor at the market saying it is a market fees close to two weeks but there are no receipts.

“Some young men are spotted collecting market fees of K100 daily. When I tried to quiz them about their identities they told me I should not come again. I pleaded with them and they extended my stay,” Kalumbu told Mana.

Another vendor,  Alice Kumwenda said that she was uncomfortable to pay her daily market fees to people she knew had no jurisdiction over market fees but laments that she has no option because if you protest you are eventually banned from selling.

“The bogus revenue collectors only mark a symbol shaped like an eight or a zero to signify that one has remitted market fee,” she explained.

It is said that at first the terrorists claimed that they were being sent by the Msamba Catholic Parish, whose Clerk Tresford Mvula said the Catholic Church was in no way connected to the revenue collection.

“The boys are indeed bothering the people at the market. At first they claimed that they were being sent by us and when we quashed their assertion they changed saying they are being sent by the councilor and we know for sure it is a blue lie,” said the Church Clerk.

He explained that the Church is not amused with both the availability of the illegal market and the actions by the boys, hoping that Lilongwe City Council will take right action.

In Area 36 it is reported that there are also other notorious crews  like ‘Soft boys’, ‘Ghetos’, ‘Bad boys’ and ‘Seka unye’ which make people live in fear in the area.

Meanwhile the Police have issued a fresh caution to parents to monitor their children against forming or joining gangster groups saying nobody will escape from police long hand and that once arrested they would face the law.

And Dandaula said Police on Thursday arrested 36 people for illegal sand mining after conducting a sweeping exercise around the Capital City.

“Some roads inLilongwe were damaged by people who conduct illegal sand mining on the road-sides.

“This practice makes many roads in the Capital City grow gullies and impassable for vehicles,” said Dandaula.

He said the police were continuing with the sweeping exercise across the city with aim of rooting out suspects who eke a living by sand mining.

Dandaula said suspects will appear in court soon

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