A police officer in Zambia, Detective Inspector Titus Phiri, has been arrested after he released 13 detainees from the Leonard Cheelo police station in Lusaka, allowing them to celebrate the New Year.
The suspects, who faced charges including assault, robbery, and burglary, are now on the run, and authorities have launched a manhunt.
Police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga explained that Phiri, in an intoxicated state, forcibly took the cell keys from Constable Serah Banda on New Year’s Eve.
He then unlocked the cells and told the suspects they were free to leave and start the new year. Out of 15 detainees, 13 escaped, and Phiri fled the scene. The officer has not yet responded to the allegations.
Former presidential spokesperson Dickson Jere commented on the incident humorously, recalling a similar event in 1997, when controversial High Court Judge Kabazo Chanda released 53 suspects after long delays in their court hearings.
Chanda had remarked, “Justice delayed is justice denied.”