Two Kaputa residents arrested for stealing pupils’ food

Police in Kaputa district have arrested two people, including one a wife of a Parents Teachers Association (PTA) member in connection with the theft of ten by 50 kilogram bags of maize and a 50 kg bag of beans meant for a school feeding program.

Acting Kaputa District Education Board Secretary (DEBS), Mphundu Mulenga, said the two suspects of Chinchelelwe area were arrested on Monday after a tip off from the public and pupils that they were behind the stealing of the bags of maize and beans.

Mr Mulenga narrated to ZANIS yesterday that the ten bags of maize and one bag of beans went missing on Sunday after a transporter delivered the food to the school.

He said the transporter did not find the head teacher at the school when he delivered the maize on Sunday and decided with the help of the one of the teachers to put the grains in one of the classrooms and locked it.

He added that the maize was later discovered to have been stolen but investigation revealed that one of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) members was behind the theft.

Mr Mulenga explained that after a search, nine bags of maize and a half bag of beans were found in his house but the PTA member ran away and the wife and other person were arrested to help with investigation.

He said the PTA member, who could not be named, was still on the run, while the suspects, who are in police custody were expected to appear in the Kaputa subordinate court soon.

The maize and beans were donated by the World Food Programme (WFP) which is supporting a school feeding programme in schools.