RELATIVES of a 55-year old man who died in police custody at Woodlands Police Station are suspicious and are demanding for an investigation.
Although police say Lydon Mwape died on arrival at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka after being referred from Chilenje Level one Hospital where he was taken when he fail Ill in police custody, his relatives insist he was not alive when he was removed form Woodlands Police station holding cell.
Nephew to the deceased Lucky Sichula who is also family spokesperson, told journalist in Lusaka today that Mwape was fit at the time of his detention.
Sichula said there are a number of unanswered questions over the matter and are suspecting foul play considering the conflicting reports between the police and Chilenje Level One Hospital where he was taken in during the early hours of Sunday.
He cited a case of a Zambia Air Force officer who also died in police custody with a post-mortem which later revealed that he was tortured.
“When we did a physical inspection, we discovered that his (Mwape’s) face was swollen and we became suspicious,” he said.
Sichula said the family communicated with the Police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga and he had agreed to meet them next week Thursday in regard to the matter.
Sichula said the body of the deceased will be buried tomorrow after a post-mortem is conducted.
Mwape, a Bauleni Compound resident and a television set repairer operating from Chilenje Market was apprehended on Saturday evening on charges of theft after being reported to have sold a client’s television set.
Police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga, told Kalemba that deceased suddenly fell while in police custody around 05:00 hours and started to.
He explained that officers rushed Mwape to Chilenje Level One Hospital where medics referred to the University Teaching Hospital but died on a arrival there.
Hamoonga said police had opened an an enquiry and know for certain the cause of death after a postmortem.
Mwape (in photo below) is survived by a wife and two children. This is contained in a report published by Kalemba.