A 34-year-old farmer, Jomo Banda, has died after allegedly consuming pesticides in the area of Traditional Authority Mzukuzuku at Embangweni in Mzimba.
Jenda Police Public Relations Officer Macfarlen Mseteka says Banda was found unconscious by his wife on yesterday, after returning home from a drinking spree.
His wife discovered a used packet of pesticides in his pocket and rushed him to Embangweni Mission Hospital, where he later succumbed to death while receiving treatment.
Preliminary investigations suggest that Banda’s death may be a case of suicidal poisoning, allegedly triggered by financial stress as his wife revealed that Banda had been struggling to repay loans from loan sharks after exhausting his earnings from his farming job.