BUNDA Student in prison for motorcycle stealing

By Crispin Kapindira

Senior magistrate’s court in Mzuzu on 19 October, sentenced a 27 year old LUANAR student, Bon Cassim to 35 years imprisonment after being found guilty on multiple charges.

Senior Magistrate, John Mkande, found the defendant guilty on three accounts, two of food poisoning and one charge of stealing a motor bike.

The state prosecutor, Yohane Bamusi, said that on the 20th September, Cassim hired a motorcycle to drop him in Chimaliro where he told the motorcyclist to stop by Sana mall.

“He entered the mall and bought two enjoy drinks and put a drug that he bought from a pharmacy in one of the drinks, which he gave the motorcyclist,

On their way to Chimaliro the victim started feeling dizzy and wanted to sleep. It was then where Cassim took advantage and stole the bike leaving the victim in a bad condition,” said Bamusi.

It was the victim's family members who brought the issue to the Mzuzu police station where Police officers arrested Cassim after he had already sold the motorcycle at k500, 000 which was bought at 1,400,000 to a man in Chimaliro.

The victim was then rushed to Mzuzu central hospital where he is still receiving treatment.

Standing before the court, Cassim pleaded guilty of all the charges, saying that he was doing all the things to help his siblings and his 85 year old grandmother.

"This is not my first time doing this, and I also did it to help myself with school fees since am the only scholar in my family" Cassim told the court.

Magistrate John Mkande while giving his ruling said that the court shall not consider that Cassim is a student and lives with his grandmother, since committing two crimes of food poisoning is same as committing murder.

In July, Cassim tried to poison another motorcyclist, however he was not successful as the motorcyclist stayed strong and carried him off to his destination.