Suspect who stole two pockets of cement commits suicide inside police cell

A male suspect of Nabvutika Township in Chipata district has committed suicide in a cell at Chipata Central Police Station where he was held for allegedly stealing two pockets of cement.

Eastern Province Commissioner of Police Geza Lungu says the suspect aged between 25 and 30 years old had been dragged to the police station for stealing two bags of cement and an Itel phone which were property of Peter Mwanza who had contracted the suspect to build a house for him.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS, Mr Lungu said the incident occurred on Tuesday January 26th between 22 and 23 hours at Chipata Central Police Station.

The Eastern Province Commissioner of Police named the victim as Joseph Mbewe a house builder.

“The suspect who was arrested and detained in the police cells became violent whilst in the cells. He was separated by police officers from the male cell to the female cell which was empty,” Mr Lungu explained.

Mr Lungu said upon making a routine check, it was discovered that the suspect Joseph Mbewe had committed suicide by hanging himself using a T-shirt to the metal bars on the cell window.

“Physical inspection on the body of the suspect was conducted and no visible injuries were seen. No foul play is suspected and that an inquiry file has been opened,” he explained.

Mr Lungu said the body of the suspect has already been deposited at Chipata Central Hospital Mortuary awaiting postmortem.

Mental Health Expert at Chipata Central Hospital Fredrick Mwanza has disclosed that pressure on young people by parents to succeed is one of the contributing factors to increased suicide among them.

“Sometimes the pressure parents put on their children to succeed can make them commit suicide. Parents should know the best way to talk to their children with regards to their school performance, other than issuing threats,” he said.

Mr Mwanza said attempted suicide cases are high among young people due to increased pressure to succeed and social media bullying among other reasons.

“Usually, before we had these technology developments, we would know whom our children were interacting with but for now things are more complex. So, these are some of the things that might be contributing to the ugly scenario of suicide amongst young people,” he said.

Mr Mwanza it is alright for every parent to want their child to have good grades at school but there should be a proper channel of talking to them in case of poor performance.

Mr Mwanza added that parents should learn to accept their children even when they are not brilliant in school because they might be good in other areas.