Mozambican arrested on his way to Malawi carrying human bones – police

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Mozambican arrested on his way to Malawi carrying human bones – police

4:17 CAT | 11 Oct 2019

FILE: For illustration purposes only. [Image: Moz 24Hours]

Mozambican police detained a 25-year-old man in possession of eight human bones in Zambezia province, central Mozambique, as he was trying to leave the country for Malawi, provincial police spokesman Sidner Lonzo told Lusa yesterday.

Lonzo said the bones were from human legs and were being carried in a briefcase as the man crossed the border on September 28 in an incident only now being disclosed by the authorities.

The arrest was carried out by agents of the Mozambique Border Guard Police who discovered the bones after a search in the border region of Mucoco, Molumbo district.

When questioned by the police, the man offered contradictory versions of the origin and destination of the bones.

In the central and northern regions of Mozambique there have been recurring cases of vandalism by grave robbers aimed at securing human bones for ‘healers’ who use them in superstitious rituals [witchcraft].
Some people in these regions and in neighbouring countries believe that being treated with human bones will bring them wealth or good fortune.

A wave of attacks spanning 2014 and 2015 killed a number of albinos, and Human Right Watch (HRW) says it received reports of at least 100 attacks carried out in 2015 and linked to this sort of superstition-related dealing.

Source: Lusa