A 24 year old man has died while in custody of Lingadzi police in Lilongwe following severe injuries he sustained after being beaten by a mob in area 18 who caught him stealing from a house.

Lingadzi police publicist, Salome Zgambo, said the man was caught in the early hours of Tuesday and was severely beaten before being brought to Lingadzi police.

According to Zgambo, the deceased, Maxwell Zumani, was brought to the station by well-wishers during the wee hours of Tuesday.

Zgambo said: “The deceased was caught while stealing at a certain house in area 18 and was severely beaten before some well-wishers brought him to police but he was in critical condition upon arrival at the station.”

Later police took the deceased to the hospital but the medical personnel confirmed he was already dead.

However Zgambo confirmed that the police delayed to take the deceased to the hospital because all the vehicles at the station were out for patrol duties until 5am when the vehicle took him to the hospital.

She declined to confirm on whether Zumani died in police cell or on his way to the hospital saying “the time of death can only be known by the medical personnel and not the police.”

Maxwell Zumani, hailed from Phindi village, in the area of Traditional Authority Nkaya in Balaka district.