some of the suspects arrested during "Operation Kutwa"
Two vehicles, a Toyota Fortuner and a Double Cabin Hilux stolen from South Africa are among property worth millions of Kwacha recovered in a three-day special intelligence-led operation conducted by the Malawi Police Service (MPS) from Wednesday, August 14, 2024.
The operation, dubbed “Operation Kutwa” was done concurrently across the SADC region by individual Police Forces in their respective countries to burst-out and dismantle criminal syndicates involved in transnational crimes in the region.
In the operation, MPS has arrested 696 suspects who are connected to various crimes such as robbery, trafficking in person, possession of counterfeit products, vandalism of government property, drug trafficking, possession and selling of medical products without a license, intellectual property crimes, cultivation and illegal possession of cannabis sativa, poaching and trafficking of wildlife and their trophies.
Among the recovered properties are suspected stolen motor vehicles, medical drugs believed to be from government hospitals, fake and counterfeit goods, ESCOM and Waterboard cables and meters, bags of cannabis sativa (chamba), jerrycans of intoxicating illegal liquor (including Ambuye Mtengeni), petroleum products (liquid fuel) and stolen motorcycles.
The fake and counterfeit recovered goods include bags of fertilizer, motor vehicle spare parts, and cartons of colgate, glycerine, body cream, lotion and packs of wine.
In the operation, other suspects who were on the MPS radar and have been on the run for committing crimes such as robberies, housebreaking, rape, human trafficking and digital piracy were also cornered and arrested.
Regionally, Operation Kutwa was planned and coordinated by Interpol Headquarters in Harare, Zimbabwe. In Malawi, it was centrally coordinated at National Police Headquarters in Lilongwe but was executed by police officers in their respective police regions and stations across the country. In other instances, the operation was done jointly with officials from relevant institution such as the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services, Malawi Bureau of Standards, Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA) and others.
MPS pledges to continue planning and executing such operations to ensure safety and security of all residents in Malawi and strengthen operational cooperation with sister Police Forces across the region and beyond.