Lilongwe Police have revealed the shocking scale of a deadly crime wave targeting motorcycle taxi operators, confirming that seven riders were murdered by criminals across the district in just the past week alone -- with three bodies still lying unidentified in a hospital mortuary.

The chilling revelation has sent shockwaves through the city's Kabaza motorcycle taxi community, with police confirming the unidentified bodies are being held at Kamuzu Central Hospital as they desperately search for relatives to come forward and identify their loved ones.

Lilongwe Police spokesperson Inspector Hastings Chigalu confirmed the disturbing pattern behind the killings, revealing that criminals have been posing as ordinary passengers to lure unsuspecting motorcycle taxi drivers into isolated locations, before robbing and brutally murdering them.

"We are appealing to anyone whose relatives worked as motorcycle taxi operators and have gone missing to come forward to the police," Chigalu said, urging worried families to visit Kamuzu Central Hospital to check whether any of the unidentified bodies belong to their missing loved ones.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

In a desperate bid to curb the alarming surge in violence, police have now imposed strict new operating hours, banning motorcycle taxi operators from working past 8pm -- a measure designed to reduce riders' exposure to criminals exploiting the cover of darkness.

Chigalu confirmed that police also carried out a dramatic midnight enforcement operation over the weekend, impounding a staggering 30 motorcycle taxis found operating illegally beyond the newly imposed curfew.

The spokesperson admitted deep concern over the scale and brutality of the killings, describing the pattern of operators being deliberately targeted, robbed and murdered as an "alarming increase" that police are now moving urgently to contain.

The crackdown comes as authorities scramble to restore confidence within Lilongwe's motorcycle taxi industry, an increasingly popular but now dangerously exposed mode of transport that thousands of Malawians rely on daily.

Police say further enforcement operations are expected in the coming days as they work to identify those behind the killings and bring the perpetrators to justice, while urging the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity involving motorcycle taxis.