Thugs break into Bishop’s house

Shock and fear gripped Bishop Musikuwa and his secretary, together with three sisters of SMMI congregation as thugs broke into Bishop’s house in the night of 13^th February 2022. The incident happened just after midnight, around twenty minutes past one.

According to a narrative by Fr Alfeo Boloma, who is the secretary to the Bishop, thugs, who were armed with pangas and other dangerous weapons, made way into the premises through the eastern side of the entrance, and stationed themselves at different locations within.

When they made way into the fence, some thugs came to them main door of the house and tried to open it forcefully.

“It was around twenty past one that these thugs entered our premises. First to alert me, were footsteps that I heard, and thought it was one of the guards making their usual security rounds. No sooner had I thought about this, than did I heard them whisper to each other. They then came to the main door which they began forcing it to open. At this point, I was sure that we were under attack” Narrated Fr Boloma.

Having successfully opened the door, they went up the second floor of the house, and began checking and looking for the room where the Bishop sleeps.

At this time, Fr Boloma had hid himself behind an open door for one of the toilets in the house, while the bishop was still in his room.

Finding no one, they went into the dining room and made way to the sisters who are being housed at the guest wing of the residence. The thugs broke broke into bedrooms of three sisters and demanded for money from them. “We know you are sisters from India and we do not want to harm you; just give us the money you have brought and we will go”. One sister recalled.

The thugs then searched in all the rooms and went away with some items.

Meanwhile, as Fr Boloma hid, he managed to call the Officer in Charge for Chikwawa police who assured him that officers were on the way, having already received a call from the Bishop. The officers arrived at the bishops place an hour later after the thieves had gone, and stayed around for as little as 15 minutes.

The Officer In Charge came in the morning to appreciate the situation. Later on officers from the regional headquarters of police arrived and assured that two officers will be deployed every night to offer security to the place.

The thugs went away with a travelling bag and some clothes, 2 laptops from the sisters, three mobile phones and other small gadgets plus cash amounting to twenty thousand kwacha.

This is not the first time that the Bishop’s residence in Chikwawa has been attacked by robbers.