Malawi: Police in Lilongwe arrested a couple for allegedly strangling their two year old son to death. The couple had killed the toddler to use his body for black magic. They wanted to gain wealth by the witch magic ritual.
Notably, black magic. Witch doctors and superstitious rituals and beilefs are prevalent in several small villages of Malawi. The couple had killed the child under the influence of a witch doctor
The Police officials have shared that the incident occurred in Chikuwa Village, Traditional Authority Chitekwere in Lilongwe District.
The officials have identified the suspects who were involved in the accident as 25 year old Ivy Elinati similarly aged Mphatso Nalinde. The suspects were the child’s mother and stepfather.
As per the official reports from the police investigation the couple conspired to kill the boy. The couple had allegedly struck a deal with an unidentified Mozambican witch doctor.
The witch doctor had reportedly promised the couple wealth if they provided him with their son’s dead body.
According to Lilongwe Police PRO Hastings Chigalu, the couple informed their relatives and friends at the husband’s home village about their travel plans. They had claimed that they were traveling to Mozambique to visit other relations.
However, in reality they planned to kill the child on their way to Mozambique to fulfill the witch doctor’s demands. Â The couple walked several kilometers and then reportedly lured their son into the bush, where they strangled him to death.
However, when they contacted the witch doctor to inform him of their actions, he refused to proceed. At this point the witch doctor claimed that they had failed to perform certain rituals, making the body useless for the intended charms.
After this, the couple returned home with the deceased child as they were scared of the consequences. They attempted to cover up the murder by claiming that the boy had suddenly become unconscious and died while strapped to his mother’s back.
However, the village elders grew suspicious of their story and alerted the police. A postmortem examination conducted at Nathenje Health Centre confirmed that the boy had died from suffocation due to strangulation.
The couple has been charged with murder and will face trial in court for their criminal offenses.