Police in Mvera, Dowa District, have arrested Landilani Pagonanji, 65, of Chimphepo Village, T/A Mkukula, for illegal possession of a firearm and killing a protected species (antelope) without a permit.
According to Dowa Police Station Public Relations Officer, Sub-Inspector Alice Sitima, on October 29, 2026, officers manning the Mvera Roadblock intercepted a three-tonne motor vehicle and discovered 16 kilogrammes of antelope meat concealed in a plastic bag.
Sitima said officers detained Maxwel Jossam, 36, who later confessed that he had been sent by Pagonanji to deliver the meat to his house in Dowa District.
She added that further investigations revealed that the firearm, a Greener-type 12-bore shotgun (maker’s number 1161), originally belonged to Pagonanji’s late uncle.
“Pagonanji admitted to using the weapon without updating the ownership records and confessed to killing the antelope at Kansichi Village,” she explained.
Meanwhile, the firearm has been seized, and the suspect is expected to appear in court to answer the charges.
Police have advised members of the public to surrender all unclaimed or illegally possessed firearms, stressing that possession and use of such weapons without lawful authority is a criminal offence.
