A 45-year-old woman has been arrested in Chikwawa for allegedly causing the death of an 83-year-old woman following a dispute at a maize mill at Bereu Trading Centre.
The suspect, identified as Nales Stephano of Chambuluka Village under Traditional Authority Maseya, is accused of assaulting Patricia Yosefe during an altercation over a queue for maize milling.
According to police, the dispute initially involved Stephano and the deceased’s granddaughter. Yosefe reportedly intervened in an attempt to calm the situation, but was allegedly pushed to the ground during the confrontation.
She lost consciousness and was rushed to hospital by well-wishers for medical treatment. However, she was later pronounced dead.
A postmortem conducted at Chikwawa District Hospital established that the cause of death was a head injury sustained during the incident.
Police say Stephano remains in custody and is expected to appear before court upon the completion of investigations.
Meanwhile, law enforcement authorities have appealed to members of the public to resolve disputes peacefully and refrain from resorting to violence.
