Tanzanian professional boxer, Hassan Mwakinyo, is currently being held by the Tanga Police, suspected of assaulting a person allegedly found trespassing in his premises without his consent.
Mwakinyo has been in police custody since Thursday at the Chumbageni Police Station over the incident, while the victim of the assault continues to receive treatment at the Bombo Referral Hospital in Tanga.
A reliable source informed Mwananchi newspaper that the primary reason for Mwakinyo's detention is the allegations of assault, which reportedly caused serious bodily harm to the victim.
Mwananchi reached out to the acting Police Commander of Tanga, ACP Maket Msangi, who confirmed that the boxer is in their custody.
"We are holding Hassan Mwakinyo, not as a boxer. There is no issue; he is facing accusations of assaulting a person who allegedly passed by his residence and attempted to enter in what is said to be an intention to commit a crime, and so he apprehended him," said Msangi.
"When we received the report, he had already detained the suspect. We went to take the suspect into custody, but he had minor injuries, so we took him to receive first aid at Bombo.
That’s why we are holding him, as we found the suspect with some injuries. We are continuing to interrogate Mwakinyo to understand why the injuries were inflicted."
"Understand that we are holding him for this reason, and we will forward the case to the prosecution office for legal interpretation. If there is enough evidence to prove a crime, the necessary legal steps will be taken," Msangi added.