A Zambian detective inspector has been arrested for releasing 13 suspects from police custody while under the influence of alcohol in a bizarre New Year’s Eve incident.
Detective Inspector Titus Phiri, who was reportedly intoxicated, seized the keys to the cells at Leonard Cheelo Police Station in Lusaka on New Year’s Eve.
He then freed the suspects, who were being held for various serious crimes, including assault, robbery, and burglary.
Police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga confirmed the incident, stating that the intoxicated officer forcibly took the keys from Constable Serah Banda before making his escape.
“Mr. Phiri, in a state of intoxication, disregarded his duties and allowed suspects to flee custody,” Hamoonga said.
Report says that Detective Inspector Phiri allegedly unlocked both the male and female detention cells on New Year’s Eve, instructing the suspects to leave, saying they were “free to cross over into the new year.”
However, out of the 15 suspects in custody, 13 managed to escape. Following the incident, the officer reportedly fled the scene.
He was later arrested and a manhunt was launched for the fleeing suspects.
Inspector Phiri has not yet responded to the allegations.
Reacting to the escape, former presidential spokesperson and lawyer Dickson Jere shared his thoughts on Facebook: “I keep laughing each time I picture the scenario—comical! But then, I remembered a similar incident in 1997.”
Meanwhile, Jere referred to a New Year’s Eve incident in 1997 when the late High Court Judge Kabazo Chanda controversially ordered the release of 53 detainees, some of whom were considered dangerous.
Judge Chanda was frustrated that the suspects, arrested as far back as 1992, had not been brought to court. “Justice delayed is justice denied,” he said.
