BOYFRIEND HELD OVER `FISHY’ SUICIDE

NOEL IYOMBWA writes

A 28 YEAR OLD woman of Matero Township has allegedly committed suicide in her boyfriend’s one-roomed apartment.
The boy friend has been detained to help with investigations.
Mumbi Catherine Phiri was found dead by her boyfriend only identified as Chanda in his one-roomed house off Commonwealth Road.
But one of her relatives who opted to remain anonymous said deceased was suspected to have been killed by the boyfriend who was currently in police custody.
She said her relatives have ruled out suicide because Phiri was found lying on the bed with a thin rope tied around her neck without marks on her despite her being light in complexion.
She said the two were not legally married but used to cohabit though her family stayed within Matero.
She said when the boyfriend was asked by police why Phiri was lying on his bed when they visited the scene, he told them that he discovered that she was still alive hence he untied her and put her on the bed.
“We suspect foul play because there was no indication that the deceased committed suicide. As you know when a person commits suicide the eyes pop out but it was not the case with her and there is nothing to show that our relative tied the rope to the roof.
“And what we know is that of late, the two used to fight and even on that fateful day, the two had a fight. So we are just waiting for a postmortem report but we are sure that she was just murdered by her boyfriend,” she said.
And her friend only identified as Jane told the Sun that on the material day, the two had a fight at a named bar but later went home together but the following day she was shocked to learn that Phiri had committed suicide.
She also ruled out suicide, adding that the police should thoroughly investigate the matter to establish the cause of her friend’s death.