Lady detained for swindling over half a billion kwacha worth of maize

Lilongwe police are keeping a 40-year-old woman in the cooler for allegedly swindling 11 people of their maize valued at K577 million on the pretext that she was purchasing the same for her organization to distribute to the needy.

They identified the suspect as Dyless Mbengo, who hails from Gochi Village, Traditional Authority Mpando in Ntcheu District.

According to a police report, the suspect approached grain traders and farmers, on different occasions, tricking the potential victims that she runs a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that purchases maize in large quantities and distributes the same to the needy.

Part of the police report read: ‘And after taking the maize, she was either paying the traders using fake cheques, or promising to pay them later after production of fake documents of her non-existent organization. She was going into hiding each time she took maize from traders.’

Inspector Hastings Chigalu, the Lilongwe public relations officer, told the media that more victims were coming forward with complaints against the suspect.

“The station has so far recorded 11 cases from individuals whom she duped large quantities of maize. For instance, among the victims, four individuals were duped millions K260, K86, K53, and K30 each, worth of maize in Lilongwe, Nkhota-kota and Mzimba.” Chigalu said in a statement

The suspect has been in hiding for a considerable period of time, only to be arrested over the weekend after Lilongwe Police detectives intensified investigations and manhunt.

She is expected to appear in court this week to face multiple counts of Obtaining Goods by False Pretenses.