Ritual killers back?

Wed, 10 Jan 2018 07:24:10 +0000

By AARON CHIYANZO and MOSES SINJWALA

RITUAL killers are back and the public should be security conscious at all times and report any suspicious looking persons to the police, says Zambia Police Service spokesperson, Esther Katongo.

Ms Katongo said that police in Lusaka had in the last few weeks picked three bodies with some body parts missing.

She suspected that the ritual killings that had rocked the country in 2016 were back as most of the murder victims reported so far had some body parts removed. Ms Katongo said that two bodies were found with ripped stomachs with some internal organs missing, while the one which was picked a day after Christmas had a heart missing. She pointed out that so far the incidences had taken place within the same area, around Matero and George compounds.

Ms Katongo also said that authorities were yet to find out if some parts were missing from a body which was picked in George compound on Sunday, as the chest was ripped open.

“Looking at the way the body was found, with the chest ripped open, there is a possibility that some parts have been removed, but we are yet to find out. But with the others, we found body parts missing. So the incidents border on suspected ritual killing,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ms Katongo urged the general public to be security conscious and report any suspicious looking persons to the police. She reiterated that in as much as the police had intensified patrols across the city, the public should be wary of their movements. Ms Katongo advised people to be on the lookout for suspicious looking persons they were not familiar with in their areas.

She said that the general citizenry should also avoid unaccompanied movements, especially during awkward hours.