A five-month-old girl has died after allegedly being assaulted and murdered by her uncle in Hachikwela village in Choma district.
Southern Province Commanding officer Moono Namalongo says the incident is reported to have occurred on July 11, 2026, at around 15:00 hours.
Mr Namalongo said father to the victim Lavent Kanini, 23, reported that his five-month-old daughter was allegedly murdered by her uncle, aged between 20 and 25 years, of the same village, who is reported to have a history of mental illness.
“The child’s mother put the infant to sleep near the doorway of a family house before briefly leaving to attend to household chores. During her absence, the child’s grandmother was alerted by a young family member that the child’s uncle had allegedly assaulted the baby while she was asleep. She immediately rushed to the scene and found the infant unresponsive and bleeding from the nose,” Mr Namalongo said.
Mr Namalongo further said the child was rushed to Batoka Rural Health Centre, where she was pronounced dead upon arrival at approximately 18:00 hours.
He indicated that police officers examined the body and observed a cut to the right side of the head, an injury to the right eye and bleeding from the nose.
“A stick is believed to have been used in the assault of the girl,” He said.
Mr Namalongo said the body has since been deposited in Choma General Hospital mortuary awaiting a postmortem examination to establish the exact cause of death.
Mr Namalongo disclosed that no arrest has been made yet, adding that a docket has been opened and investigations into the matter are ongoing.
