Chaisa Child Burns to Death,Mother reportedly out drinking

LUSAKA, 01ST JANUARY, 2019 – A two year 6 months male child has died while a female child aged 10 years has suffered severe burns when the house they were sleeping in caught fire in the early hours of today the 01st January,  2019 at about 03:20 hours in Lusaka’s Chaisa Compound .

The deceased child is Danniel Kaputula while the one hospitalised is Alice Kaputala aged 10.

Brief facts are that the Father of the two children known as Royd Kaputula, a security guard left home for work on 31st December, 2018 at 16:00 hours leaving the two children in the care of their mother Barbra Phiri aged 33 of Chaisa Compound.

Preliminary investigations have indicated that Barbra Phiri, the mother of the children has a tendency of locking the children to go out to drink beer whenever the husband was in night shift.

Today around 03:20 hours, one of the neighbours was alerted by distress calls from people who were shouting fire and when he went out , he found people trying to put off the fire.

The members of the public managed to put off the fire but discovered that Alice was severely burnt while Daniel was burnt to death on a chair.

Their mother was not in the house. They later informed the police, the scene was visited in which it was observed that the deceased died whilst seated on the chair and it is suspected that he might have slept on the chair and was chocked in deep sleep.

The house is not connected to power and it is suspected that the mother could have left the candle burning when she went out.

The Suspect has been apprehended and detained while the body of the deceased has been deposited at UTH mortuary.

ESTHER MWAATA KATONGO

ZAMBIA POLICE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER