70-Year Old Killed in Mistaken Wizard Suspicion Plot

A 29-year-old man of Nakonde has killed a 70-year-old woman he suspected to be his grandmother in a case of mistaken identity.

The suspect who has been identified as Gift Musukwa had wanted to kill his grandmother Ketteness Nakayuni, 65, who he suspected of practicing witchcraft.

Muchinga Province Deputy Commissioner of Police Geoffrey Kunda said the suspect used a machete to hack the deceased as she was coming from the farm.

“Brief facts are that the suspect Gift Musukwa suspected his grandmother Ketteness Nakayuni aged 65 to be a witch. The suspect was recently released from prison and lives together with his grandmother, when his grandmother was out to the market the suspect went to look for her but did not find her which made him annoyed. In his annoyance, he saw a 65-year-old woman Emeldah Nambeye coming his way from the market where she had gone to buy charcoal and mistook her to be his grandmother. When she reached at the accused person’s house he stopped her and started hacking her with a machete to death,” Mr. Kunda explained.

He added that a team of detectives visited the scene of crime found that half of the head was broken into pieces with the brain outside on the ground, fractured left leg and multiple cuts on the right legs and  right hand,”.

Mr. Kunda said the body has since been deposited at Nakonde District Hospital Mortuary awaiting postmortem examination.

He said the suspect has been arrested after he handed over himself to police after fears that a mob would descend on him.

“He also stated that he thought the deceased was his grandmother that is why he murdered her and later took himself to the Police Station fearing to be killed by a mob”