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There have been not less than 22 murder cases that have been reported since issues of security lapse arose after the change of regime the last 123 days.

This means a minimum of one person is being killed every five days. Three of the 22 murders involve mob justice where residents took the law into their own hands and murdered suspects.

Police says security tight

Various quarters have blamed the deterioration of security on the current government's reversal of the late President Bingu wa Mutharika's controversial order of shoot to kill criminals on sight.

However, Police Inspector General Lot Dzonzi has insisted that shooting to kill is a violation of human rights and the police are supposed to use professional skills to deal with crime.

Reacting to the murders, National Police Public Relations Officer David Chingwalu said security has now been tightened and police have already started arresting some of the criminals.

"There has been drastic improvement in security. We have been receiving reports from all police stations of progress in tightening security and we are on the right track," Chingwalu said.

He said the most recent arrest was of Sailesi Chimbalanga of Ntaja who was arrested in connection in the death of the two guards who were killed on July, 30 at a Puma filling station in Machinga.

The police arrested Stephano M'bawa, 29, and Ibrahim Mathambo, 23, on suspicion that they murdered a Puma Filling Station salesman Charles Mwahedi and robbed him of K1 million and unknown amount of airtime.

Chingwalu said police are continuing with patrols in the cities and more investigations are underway to bring to book all criminals.

People have lost trust in police—Undule

Human rights activist Undule Mwakasungula said the rise in homicides and mob justice can be attributed to people's frustration with economic hardships and loss of trust in the police.

He, however, called on people to respect the sanctity of life and desist from taking the law in their own hands.

"It is a concern where life is being lost anyhow. People, because of frustrations, start taking the law in the own hands. But this should be condemned; we should not use laws of the jungle. We have our own constitution and other laws that we need to follow.

"The insecurity can be down to people's frustrations due to unemployment, lack of opportunities and so many other factors. Government must intervene to end this insecurity before it gets out of hand," Mwakasungula said.

Gruesome

The recorded cases that The Daily Times has analysed show that on April 8 a man killed a six year old boy and removed his teeth and genitals in Chinsapo Township in Lilongwe.

Iweni Mwamadi, 26, of Mchinji was arrested for hacking to death his one year old baby on April 14.

Four people killed a man identified as Mike Mwaleta on May 7 in a fight over a barmaid in Zomba.

Police on May 30, arrested five Burundians in Dowa for stabbing to death a Malawian, Dokotala Kamchacha after he had quarrelled with one of them.

In Lilongwe, Area 25 police arrested Kennedy Odala, 44, for killing his wife on June 10 after a quarrel that ended in a fatal fight.

In June, an angry mob in Chitipa beat to death a Chinese national Lee Rui after he had stabbed to death a Malawian Twaibu Nkhoma, 37.

In the same months a 23 year old taxi driver, Yamikani Msini was on the night of June 16 found dead with stab wounds. Msini was hired by unknown people from Blantyre to Limbe where the criminals are thought to have attacked him.

On July 28, people of Ndiwo village in Traditional Authority Kalonga in Salima stoned to death White Ajida whom they suspected of theft.

On Thursday July 5, a woman in her 20s was murdered and was found arms tied and had her upper part of the body burned. Post mortem showed that the woman was gang raped before being killed.

On July 12, a 15 year old boy Kondwani Mhuwa was found dead in Mulanje with police suspecting that he was strangulated.