By Precious Chisikwa

Police in Nkhotakota are keeping in custody 22-year-old Steria Manda for allegedly strangling her newly born baby boy to death.

Nkhotakota Police Public Relations Officer Paul Malimwe told YFM that on September 13, 2021, the suspect went to St Anne’s Mission Hospital complaining of abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting.

He said while at the hospital, Manda asked to answer a call of nature where she ended up delivering a baby boy.

“Later, she came out with a dead body in her hands with fractures on both arms and bruises on the neck,” Malimwe said.

He said nurses at the hospital were shocked and reported the matter to Nkhotakota Police Station where officers swiftly went to the hospital and arrested her.

Postmortem conducted at the hospital established that strangulation and head injury are the causes of the death.

“The suspect has confessed to have twisted the neck of the newly born baby, but she is mum on the reasons for doing that,” Malimwe said.

Currently, the suspect is in police custody and will appear in court soon.

Steria Manda hails from Matola village in the area of Traditional Authority Chitsemphere in Kasungu district.