Arrested trying to sell his albino children

BETTING À DAY

A father who wanted to sell his three albino children to have their bodies used in witchcraft practices was arrested in northwest Mozambique before the deal was finalized, the state said on Monday. police.

Police officers in the Tete region, crossed by the majestic Zambezi River, arrested the father and uncle of the three children last weekend, after being alerted by an anonymous denunciation.

The three children were to be sold to neighboring Malawi, for a total amount equivalent to some 38,000 euros, the local police spokesman told a press conference, Feliciano da Câmara.

After the anonymous call, “we investigated and it was possible to save the three children, aged 9 to 16, who were in captivity”, he said. he further added, specifying that both the father and the uncle denied any involvement in this alleged trafficking.

In southern Africa, the al binos are victims of discrimination and targets of attacks. Parts of their bodies are used in witchcraft rituals, believed to bring good fortune and health.

Albinism is a genetic condition characterized by a total or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes.