Police in Mzimba on Tuesday arrested the district’s health office assistant human resources manager Boyd Chipeta for alleged theft of K10.9 million.

In a statement, Mzimba Police Station spokesperson Peter Botha said Chipeta, 28, is alleged to have embezzled the money by depositing salary arrears into bak accounts of some health surveillance assistants (HSAs) under Mzimba South District Health Office (DHO).

Said Botha: “Chipeta is alleged to have been depositing salary arrears every month from November 2022 to May 2023 when another officer from M’Mbelwa District Council discovered the anomaly.

Mzimba District Hospital is one of the facilities under Mzimba South DHO

“Chipeta processed the salary arrears to nine health workers for November 2022 to May 2023. The arrears were being deposited in the HSAs accounts together with monthly salaries and collected it from them.”

He said the matter came to light last Friday when a team responsible for salaries at M’mbelwa District Council was consolidating June salaries.

“The team was shocked after going through the May, 2023 payroll which alerted them to something fishy.

“When Chipeta [suspect] who is also a member of the team was questioned, he admitted to have done the transactions.

He was arrested by police and charged with the offence of theft by public servant. The money embezzled is K10 986 583.64.”

The matter is still under investigations and the suspect will appear before court once the investigations are over.

Chipeta hails from Chamawoya Village in Traditional Authority Kabunduli in Nkhata Bay District.

The post Mzimba DHO official in for alleged K10.9m fraud first appeared on The Nation Online.