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Ten Malawians have been arrested for allegedly killing a 21-year-old albino woman, police in the country have said.
The alleged murder comes at a time when a United Nations delegation is also conducting investigations into the treatment of albinos in that country.
A police spokesperson, Kondwani Kandiado told AFP that “they brought the woman into a farmhouse and killed her. They pulled out eight bones, put the body in a bag and burned her at the crime scene.”
… they brought the woman into a farmhouse and killed her. They pulled out eight bones, put the body in a bag and burned her at the crime scene.
He added that the killing of the woman was motivated by “rumors that the bones of albinos can bring a lot of money.”
Police say Gerald Phiri, 38, the uncle of the 21-year-old deceased is their prime suspect.
The killers reportedly took the bones of their victim to Malawi’s capital Lilongwe to sell, but the transaction did not go through, authorities said.
The murder comes three weeks after a 2-year-old albino girl was also killed and parts of her body removed.
Two people, including the father of the child, were arrested.
Albinos are often the subject of ritual murder in several countries in sub-Saharan Africa due to the belief that they bring wealth and power.
At least eight albinos have been killed in Malawi in the past two years, reports AFP.
In March, seven people suspected of trafficking human bones were burnt alive by an angry mob.
