POLICE in Lusaka picked up an unconscious 30-year-old woman of Ng'ombe Township on Wednesday but died on the way to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH).

Meanwhile, Lusaka Province police chief Solomon Jere said police have intensified patrols countrywide to mitigate the escalating levels of crime. He has also warned that police would arrest any person found loitering after 20:00 hours.

Thandiwe Longwe was discovered with visible head injuries and her death becomes the fourth woman in a space of four weeks in Lusaka.

Police Service deputy spokesperson Charity Chanda said officers took Ms Longwe to UTH but she died on the way.

She said Ms Longwe was discovered around 21:15 hours and that the cause of her death would only be ascertained after a post-mortem.

And Dr Jere said police are on the ground investigating the murders of four women who were recently killed in the capital city.

Dr Jere said police have intensified patrols around the country to safeguard people's lives.

He said instructions had been issued to all police stations informing the officers about the development and all those found loitering would be arrested and fined.

"Starting from today, police will start intensified patrols commonly known as 'shishita' to safeguard the lives of people and instructions have been issued to all police stations to arrest anybody found loitering," he said.

Lusaka has recently recorded four killings involving middle aged women, the first being Ruth Mbandu, whose body was found near her house in Emmasdale, Sharon Tembo, a hair dresser of Matero Township. Mazuba Kapembwa of Woodlands was found dead in Chilenje Township on Tuesday.