Grave robbers steal body parts of albino

SourceBBC

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Grave robbers took body parts of a deceased albino man in western Mozambique after digging through concrete that was used to reinforce the grave.

Body parts of albinos are much sought after in the country for use in witchcraft.

Police say the suspects are still at large after the incident in Moatize district, in Tete province.

The deceased, who was about 50 years old, was recently buried in a village that borders Malawi.

His relatives had reinforced the grave with concrete in anticipation of a possible theft.

A campaigner for albino rights, Remane Madane, has condemned the theft.

He said the police had promised to do everything to arrest the suspects.

“The cemetery is isolated. To get there it is a long distance, to go alone you have to think twice, otherwise maybe a team [was involved],” he said.

People with albinism, who lack pigment in their skin and appear pale, are regularly killed in several African countries including Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania.