The incident happened around 5 am on Sunday when the victim, Tiyanjane Matchado, together with her lover, Julias Mbale, 27, was coming out of a rest house after a night sleepover.

Nkhotakota Police Public Relations Officer, Sub-Inspector Williams Kaponda, confirmed the incident and said the three Neema Joseph, 23, who is Mbale`s wife, and her relatives, Martha Joseph, 21, and another teenager (name withheld) have since been arrested.

Kaponda said on Sunday, the two lovers, Mbale and Matchado booked a room at one of the rest houses within the district and when they were coming out of the room on Sunday morning, they were surprised to see the three outside and equipped with wood sticks which they used to beat Matchado.

“They mercilessly beat her while pushing her into the room where she was stripped naked and was severely injured in her private parts such that she could not walk," said Kaponda.

Kaponda said while this was happening, the man had escaped by driving his car out of the rest house premises.

A visit to Nkhotakota district hospital found Matchado who had been treated for soft tissue injury, getting better.

She explained that she has been in a relationship with her lover since 2016 in anticipation of marriage.

“He has been telling me that he has a child with a certain girl whom he impregnated but did not marry her,” she said.

Matchado claimed the girls followed and beat her severely, undressed her, and inserted some object in her private parts adding she gave up on life.

But in a separate interview, Neema Joseph disputed claims that she used objects to injure Machado's private parts.

“I tore her underwear which I took and intended to use as evidence for my husband's infidelity, but I never inserted any object into her private parts,” said Neema.

She said her husband left home around noon saying he was going to drink but never returned until she received an anonymous call alerting her on the whereabouts of her husband and what he was doing.

She claimed that she was impregnated by Mbale and are currently living together as husband and wife with their six months old baby for nine months now.

The three suspects hail from Kamange Village, while the victim comes from Phangwa Village, Traditional Authority (TA) Malengachanzi in Nkhotakota.

The suspects will appear in court soon to answer charge of acts intended to cause grievous harm, contrary to section 235 of the Penal Code.

Written By Stanley Nkhondoyachepa-MANA