According to Nkhotakota Deputy Public Relations Officer Paul Malimwe, a niece to the deceased Saukani Chigwedala aged 33 said his uncle went missing on May 18, 2017 when he left home to the forest looking for poles.

“Surprisingly, the deceased never returned. Thereafter, village headman Chigwedala and the villagers launched a man-hunt. Upon reaching the forest some kilometres away from the village, they noticed strange smell.

Sadly the smell was for the missing person and his remains were found in a decomposed state whilst left leg and right foot had been chopped,” explained Malimwe saying that at the place people observed foot prints of hyenas.

Malimwe added that police visited the scene together with medical personnel who confirmed the death.

Meanwhile, police are investigating what transpired as doctors have not yet handed in the postmortem results.

The deceased Letala Chiwandu aged 63 hailed from Chigwedala village in the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Mwansambo in Nkhotakota.