Former Chipata Mayor Jealous Phiri has committed suicide by drinking pesticides.

This is according to a statement issued by Eastern Province Police Commissioner Alex Chilufya.

“I can confirm that a case of suicide was reported to police this morning on phone by a passer-by whose names are not known that as he was jogging today at around 05:00 hours at Chipata Primary School football ground. He found a male person whom he suspected to be dead in a car parked in the said ground. Police rushed to the scene where the deceased was identified as Jealous Phiri aged 66 of Maliferendum and also a former Mayor of Chipata Municipality from Nyalugwe village in Nyimba District,” Chilufya said.

Chilufya said that Phiri was facing several cases of pretense and that he was recently released from custody on police bond.
“He was found on the driver’s seat in his car and upon inspection of the body it was observed that foam was coming out of his nostrils and an empty container of doom pesticides was found besides the body. The deceased was facing several cases of O/M/B/F pretenses. He was on Police Bond in one of the cases. His body was conveyed to Chipata General Hospital Mortuary awaiting postmortem,” said Chilufya.