Police in Mulanje district are searching for a 50-year old man who allegedly defiled and impregnated his 15-year-old niece.

The standard six victim (name withheld), from Chifumi Chole, in the area of Traditional Authority Nkanda, is currently seven months pregnant.

The victim’s mother (name withheld) said the suspect has been taking advantage of the absence of the parents to defile the girl by issuing her death threats.

The victim’s mother said: “The man has been taking advantage when I together with my husband went to night prayers or at the funeral.”

According to the mother, she was shocked to discover about her daughter’s pregnancy while it was in its third month and that the man responsible was a husband to her own biological elder sister.

The victim’s family, which has six children, rely on selling firewood, fetched from Mulanje Mountain.

Assistant Social Welfare Officer responsible for Child Welfare Protection in Mulanje, Noel Chambo, while confirming about the development, also admitted that defilement cases are rampant in the district.

“Different stakeholders together with our office are trying the level best to address this but it’s sad that some people are still involved in the malpractice and just imagine that during the month of May alone, our office had registered 48 cases of early marriages and 33 cases of early pregnancies which is too much,” he bemoaned.

He further admitted that most of these cases involve children being defiled by their close relatives.

Meanwhile Mulanje Police Spokesperson Sub Inspector Greciam Ngwira has assured that the law enforcers will not relent until the suspect is apprehended.

The suspect, who is believed to have fled to Mozambique, hails from Pathewe village, in Traditional Authority Nkhumba in Phalombe District.