Gardaí seek Malawian murder victim’s boyfriend

Gardaí were yesterday examining a flat just yards from where the bag containing the body of Rudo Mawere was dumped at the weekend and are also seeking to speak to her boyfriend who has been missing since last Saturday.

They are also exploring the possibility that Ms Mawere was killed following a row over money she owed.

The property on Aughrim St in Dublin 7, sealed off for technical examination yesterday, is near St David’s Terrace where the holdall containing the diminutive Malawian student was found by a passer-by on Sunday morning.

Gardaí are working on the theory that Ms Mawere, a 26-year-old student who had worked in a local hospital and as an au pair, was murdered close to where her body was found.

Gardaí believe her killing may have been spur-of-the-moment and that the perpetrator, faced with the issue of moving her body, panicked and simply left it on the footpath, just metres from McKee Army Barracks.

Gardaí attention has turned to Ms Mawere’s boyfriend, who is understood to be a Zimbabwean national, and his whereabouts.

It is understood the flat being examined is the one in which Ms Mawere’s boyfriend had been living.

He has not been seen since her disappearance on Saturday and is now at the forefront of Garda inquiries into her death.

However, there are concerns he may have left the country and could be in Britain.

Ms Mawere, who was less than 5ft in height, had been living in an apartment in Rathmines but had previously lived in north Dublin and had been studying at a business college in Parnell Square.

One theory being reviewed by gardaí is that she owed a sum of money to someone known to her and paid some of it off, but that a row then ensued.

Gardaí have appealed to anyone who may have seen a man carrying or pulling a large, dark-coloured luggage bag, or any suspicious activity, near Blackhorse Ave, North Circular Road, Prussia St or Aughrim St on Saturday afternoon or evening to contact them.

It is understood contact has also been made with Rudo’s family back in Malawi. The Malawian Honorary Consul in Dublin, Fr Patrick O’Malley, said he had spoken with a sister of Rudo, who is understood to be living in the city of Blantyre with her mother.

“They simply said that they hoped the body would be returned,” he said.