A 46 –year- old woman of Chingola District has allegedly been killed by a mob in Kisasa area of Kalumbila District following accusations of suspected witchcraft involving the alleged disappearance of private parts linked to a 25 year old man.
The incident occurred between 11:00 hours and 13:00 hours at Kalumbbila market.
Zambia Police Service Deputy Public Relations Officer, Chipo Kaitisha, confirmed the incident to the media in Kalumbila today and identified the deceased as Eneless Hellen Kamutumbe, who had travelled to the area for business.
Ms Kaitisha said the matter was reported around 14:00 hours by a cousin to the deceased.
She explained that preliminary investigations indicate that the incident was triggered when the 25 year old man allegedly accused the woman of causing the disappearance of his private parts after physical contact at a local market.
The accusation sparked panic among members of the public, leading to the formation of a violent mob which attacked the woman using sticks, stones, planks and other objects, inflicting multiple injuries.
Ms Kaitisha said police officers who rushed to the scene were met with resistance from the hostile crowd, which threw stones and obstructed efforts to rescue the victim.
She added that the victim was briefly taken to a nearby house where a concerned member of the public attempted to assist her, but the mob continued the assault, resulting in her death.
Police later retrieved the body after reinforcements, where it had been abandoned along the Mwinilunga–Solwezi Road.
The victim was rushed to Wumi Mini Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. The body has since been deposited in the mortuary awaiting a postmortem examination.
Ms Kaitisha disclosed that eight suspects, including the man who made the initial accusation, have since been apprehended and are assisting police with investigations.
Meanwhile, three police officers sustained injuries after being attacked by members of the public, while a police motor vehicle had its front windscreen damaged during the incident.
The Zambia Police Service has strongly condemned the act of mob injustice and urged members of the public to report suspected criminal activities to the police instead of taking the law into their own hands. Investigations into the matter are ongoing.
The President issued a statement only after public outcry
He does that even with loadshedding
You are overseas making noise while being unaware of the progress the president is actively involved in.
The president released this statement as soon as he became aware of the situation.Zambia is currently handling load shedding; soon, Maamba Thermal will increase its electricity production.
Creating unnecessary noise out of ignorance in an attempt to appear intelligent, when in fact you are not, is unhelpful.
Sad situatuon. People must think before they act
This act was in human
Let justice prevail