Police in Dowa have apprehended a 20-year-old woman, Mtipatula Moses, for allegedly concealing the birth of a child.

Dowa Police Station spokesperson Alice Sitima said the incident occurred on May 24, 2024, in Mphetuka Village, under Traditional Authority Msakambewa.

The suspect had been evading arrest until she was finally apprehended on July 20, 2024.

Village Headman Mphetuka reported that Moses was visibly pregnant and nearing childbirth. However, the pregnancy suddenly disappeared, and no newborn was introduced to the village.

Upon investigation, it was revealed that Moses had given birth and allegedly disposed of the baby in a toilet.

When questioned about the pregnancy, she could not provide an explanation and subsequently went missing.

Three days later, a foul odor and the presence of unusual flies around the toilet prompted the headman and other villagers to demolish the structure where they discovered the decomposed body of a newborn wrapped in clothes inside the toilet.

The incident was reported to Dowa Police, who, along with medical practitioners, visited the crime scene.

A postmortem examination determined that the cause of death was suffocation.

Mtipatula Moses will soon appear in court to face the charges against her.

Moses hails from Mphetuka Village in the area of Traditional Authority Msakambewa, Dowa District.