By Brenda Kayo:
A stolen mobile phone, iPhone 6, has emerged as a key piece of evidence in the murder trial of siblings Amos and Egnat Katengeza, with State witness Detective Sub- Inspector Penjani Ng’ambi telling the High Court sitting in Lilongwe that its tracking led investigators to electronic devices allegedly taken from the scene of Agnes Katengeza’s death.
Ng’ambi told Judge Bruno Kalemba yesterday that police followed the trail of Agnes’ iPhone after obtaining its International Mobile Equipment Identity (Imei) number during investigations into her death.
According to Ng’ambi, the phone was later detected in Blantyre on December 7, 2023 and was allegedly found in the possession of Mphatso Nyamasauka.
The court heard that Nyamasauka told investigators that he had obtained the phone from Amos Katengeza.
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Ng’ambi said the phone trail prompted investigators to widen their search, leading them to other electronic gadgets that police believed had been taken from Agnes after her alleged killing.
He told the court that Amos was also traced to Blantyre, where he was allegedly communicating with technician Joseph Saiti, who was expected to work on an iPhone 13.
The investigator said the iPhone 13 was subsequently identified as one of the items reported missing from the scene.
“All the budgets that were missing belonging to late Agnes were found with the first accused, Amos Katengeza,” Ng’ambi said.
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Police later arrested Amos in Blantyre, according to the witness, and recovered an iPad and an HP laptop from a bag he was carrying.
Ng’ambi further said Francis Wirima told police that he had been instructed by Amos to send some items to Blantyre through CTS Courier.
The items were allegedly received by Rosabel Mwakifwamba, who, according to the witness, told police that Amos had asked her to collect the parcel on his behalf.
Mwakifwamba already appeared before the court as a prosecution witness while Joseph Saiti, a computer and mobile phone technician, has also testified.
The evidence on the electronic devices came as Ng’ambi recounted how police first became involved in the case after Agnes was reported missing on September 23, 2023.
He said Egnat, Agnes’ elder sister, reported the disappearance to police.
However, Ng’ambi told the court that investigators became suspicious about the circumstances surrounding the report and the timing of events that followed.
On the same day, police found Agnes’ vehicle at Gateway Mall in Lilongwe.
The investigator said officers searched the vehicle and found no one inside before opening the boot, where they allegedly discovered Agnes’ body.
Director of Prosecutions Dzikondianthu Malunda said Ng’ambi is the last witnesses to appear before court.
“Tomorrow, we will project the WhatsApp messages that were found in the phone of the late Katengeza,” Malunda said.
