Macdonald Baluti, a 27-year-old man from Mangochi named Monkey Bay, is being held by police because they think he damaged and stole K300,000 worth of MTL cables.
Sergeant Alice Sichali, the station's spokesperson, said that a villager went to his garden and was surprised to see three men, including the suspect, digging there.
She said that when he confronted them, they said they were MTL employees trying to set up a beacon, but he was suspicious and snuck into the village to tell the community policing members. They acted quickly and arrested the suspect while his accomplices got away.
As the police look for Baluti's friends, he will soon have to go to court.