BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-Lilongwe police have arrested Norman Kambanje, aged 30, following allegations that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl under the guise of fulfilling a witch doctor’s ritual to recover a stolen cellphone.
The girl, originally from Thyolo’s Area 25, had been instructed by her mother to meet Kambanje at Area 36 in Lilongwe to collect a cellphone reportedly recovered by a witch doctor.
The device had been stolen in Thyolo but was said to be found in Lilongwe through traditional means.
Upon meeting at Mwenyekondo, Kambanje administered herbal substances to the girl as part of the initial ritual aimed at recovering the phone.
He then coerced her into compliance by threatening death if she refused to meet further demands.
Following these threats, Kambanje took the girl to a local resthouse where he sexually assaulted her multiple times, claiming the acts were rituals required by the witch doctor to retrieve the missing phone.
The suspect released the girl the following morning without the cellphone.
He explained that the ritual was incomplete because they had only engaged in six sexual encounters, whereas the witch doctor had allegedly prescribed ten rounds for the ritual to succeed.
After her release, the victim disclosed the ordeal to her family, who promptly reported the matter to the police.
Medical examination at Kamuzu Central Hospital confirmed that the girl had been defiled.
Further investigations revealed that Kambanje had maintained contact with the family in Thyolo and was aware that the girl was in Lilongwe for her school holidays.
Exploiting this knowledge, he deceived the victim’s mother by using witch doctor claims to gain access to the girl, ultimately to satisfy his criminal intentions.
Prior to his arrest, police say Kambanje continued to harass the girl with phone calls, inviting her back to Area 36 for similar encounters and repeating death threats to ensure her compliance.
Kambanje, who hails from Ndazadala Village, Traditional Authority Nsabwe in Thyolo District, is expected to appear in court soon, facing charges of having sexual intercourse with a child.
This case highlights the dangers of exploitation under the guise of traditional practices and the urgent need for community awareness and protection of vulnerable children from such abuses.
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