A 21 year old man has been arrested in Lilongwe for beheading his 18-year-old girlfriend, police say.

Kanengo police Public Relations Officer, Sub Inspector Labani Makalani, said the suspect allegedly committed the offence in Mbwindi village in the area of Traditional Authority Chimutu.

The suspect, Chipiliro Mataka, murdered the deceased at a place near Mchezi Trading Centre, along the Salima-Lilongwe tarmac road.

Sub Inspector Makalani said: “The incident took place between the late night of Wednesday and the wee hours of Thursday whereby on Wednesday, at around 23hours, the suspect is alleged to have gone to the house of the deceased and then he took her to a nearby bush where he is believed to have murdered her.”

During the early hours of Thursday morning, relatives to the deceased were alarmed after discovering that the girl was missing.

But later the body of the deceased was found in the bush with its head cut off and it was missing from the scene.

Following the incident the police arrested the suspect and after being questioned he confessed to killing the girl.

Later he led the police to a pit latrine, which is located about 2 kilometers away from the scene, where he had dumped the head.

The suspect is currently answering a case of murder under section 209 of the penal code and has already pleaded guilty.

The motive behind the killing is not yet clear as investigations are still underway.