By Grace Kapatuka-Mana

A 39 year old Malawian suspected robber was burnt during the wee hours of Wednesday, at Thom village in Mozambique when angry mob set him ablaze with a friend after they were allegedly caught stealing.

Ntcheu Police Publicist, Hastings Chigalu identified the deceased as Yohane Philimon who along with a friend, John Alick, crossed the borders into Mozambique on a robbery mission.

He said the two went to a village near Malawi’s Biriwiri border post with an intention of breaking into one of the shops to steal.

“While in the act, the owner of the shop noticed something strange that forced him to wake up and shout for help. Villagers around, responded positively and managed to catch the two suspects,” Chigalu explained.

The Publicist told Mana that the villagers did not hand over the two to Police but instead resorted to burning the suspects alive.

Philimon died on spot whilst his accomplice, Alick was rescued by Mozambican Police, according to Chigalu.

He said Alick was half burnt by the time Mozambican Police came in to rescue him.

Postmortem done at Ntcheu district hospital confirmed that Phillimon died due to severe burns.

Meanwhile, Alick has been referred to Kamuzu Central Hospital for further medical attention.

Philimon hailed from Chingawa Village, while Alick, 32, hails from Kalulu Village, both in Traditional Authority (TA) Njolomole in Ntcheu.