Police in southern Tanzania say they have arrested a man accused of attempting to sell his albino wife. The man was allegedly planning to sell his wife to two Congolese businessmen for around $3,000. Albinos have been living in fear in Tanzania after a series of killings due to a belief their body parts can make magic potions more effective.
At least 27 people with albinism have been killed since March, including a seven-month old baby. President Jakaya Kikwete ordered a police crackdown on those involved in the killings, and 170 witchdoctors have since been arrested. But BBC investigations suggest that some police are being “bought off” in order to look away when such crimes are committed.
Rukwa regional police commander Isunto Damian Mantage said the fisherman was arrested following a tip-off from an informer, according to the Daily News newspaper. His wife was not aware that he was planning to sell her off, police say. Mr Mantage says the wife’s angry parents have decided to take back their daughter.
The businessmen managed to escape arrest, and are suspected to have fled back to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The police have asked Interpol to help track them down, the newspaper reported. The recent attacks on albinos have been linked to witchdoctors who are peddling the belief that potions made from an albino’s legs, hair, hands, and blood can make a person rich.
Albinism affects one in 20,000 people worldwide, but in Tanzania the prevalence appears to be much higher. The Albino Association of Tanzania says that although just 4,000 albinos are officially registered in the country, they believe the actual number could be as high as 173,000. A census is now underway to verify the figures.
SOURCED FROM BBC.
Filed under: AFRICAN CRIME AND JUSTICE, AFRICAN NEWS | Tagged: AFRICAN CRIME AND JUSTICE, AFRICAN NEWS, EAST AFRICA
This is indeed sad.even here in Nigeria there is the myth that albinos are good for money acquiring rituals,especially now that the yuletide season approaches,there is the need,myth or not,to please safeguard your life-albino or not-. just today the corpse of a dead boy put in a rice sack was found along shittu road(a popular amala joint somewhere in the heart of surulere) and all could clearly see the boy was a victim of some get-rich-quick-syndrome.so the alarm goes out again to especially school children who ever so often play around with reckless abandon instead of going straight home! even more to teachers and guardians.lets adopt the conventional but ever reliable “be our brothers keeper”.
[...] MAN ‘TRIED TO SELL’ ALBINO WIFEalbino At least 27 people with albinism have been killed since March, including a seven-month old baby. President Jakaya Kikwete ordered a police crackdown on those involved in the killings, and 170 witchdoctors have since been arrested . [...]