Uncle arrested over albino niece’s death
Police in Mponela, Dowa have arrested 10 people on suspicion that they murdered a 21-year-old albino girl, Eneless Nkhata of Kuntumba Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Kaphuka in Dedza.
Mponela Police Station spokesperson Kondwani Kandiado said one of the 10 people, Gerald Phiri (38), is an uncle to the deceased.
Kandiado said Phiri, together with his friend Medson Madzialenga (37), allegedly agreed to sell bones of a person with albinism after hearing from the radio that people are killing albinos and selling their body parts.
“On April 8 2016, Phiri went to his home village in Dedza and picked his niece [Enelesi] who was living with her grandmother.
“He convinced the grandmother and other relatives that he wanted to look for a job for the girl as well as buy her sunscreen,” said Kandiado.
He said after leaving Dedza, they went to Phiri’s residence (in Madisi) where the girl stayed for about a week and then went missing which made neighbours become suspicious.
Kandiado said the neighbours reported the matter to Madisi Police and an investigation led to Phiri’s arrest. When questioned, he revealed that he killed his niece with assistance from colleagues from Lilongwe, according to police.
“He said they dragged the deceased to Mpale Estate, killed her and removed eight bones from her body. They packed her body in a sack and buried it at the scene. A visit to the scene found the deceased’s body in a decomposed state, with some body parts mutilated,” he said.
Last month, President Peter Mutharika said government has intensified surveillance and investigations in the districts where cases of abductions and killings of people living with albinism have been reported. n
