A father who wanted to sell his three albino children to use their bodies for witchcraft was arrested in northwest Mozambique before the deal was struck, police said on Monday.
Police in the Tete district, crossed by the majestic Zambezi River, arrested the father and uncle of the three children last weekend, after being alerted by an anonymous denunciation.
Local police spokesman Feliciano da Camara told a news conference that the three children would be sold to neighboring Malawi for a total amount equivalent to about 38,000 euros.
He added after the anonymous call, “We investigated and it was possible to rescue the three children between the ages of 9 and 16 who were in captivity,” explaining that the father as an uncle denied any involvement in this alleged smuggling.
In South Africa, albinism faces discrimination and attack. Parts of their bodies are used in magic rituals that are believed to bring good luck and health.
Albinism is a genetic disease characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigments in the skin, hair and eyes.
