Girl, 17, detained in Mpongwe over alleged poisoning to death of five-year-old boy

Police in Mpongwe District have detained a 17-year-old girl on suspicion of murdering a five-year-old boy by allegedly giving him poisoned milk.

The incident is believed to have occurred between February 14 and 16, 2026, while the boy’s grandmother was away attending church meetings.

Mwala Yuyi, the Copperbelt Province Police Commissioner, said in a statement on Saturday that the teenage girl—who had been left in charge of the child—reportedly gave him a substance that caused severe vomiting. The boy later died at Mpongwe Mission Hospital.

Yuyi said a docket had been opened and the juvenile suspect apprehended as investigations continued.

“The police recovered a bottle of suspected chemical, a blue cup, and a pink bag from the scene,” Yuyi said.

He added that the boy’s body had been deposited at the mortuary pending a post-mortem examination.

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