Wrong ‘witch’ hacked

PETER SICHALI writes
@SunZambian
A-70-year old woman of Nakonde district has been murdered in a case of mistaken identity.
Muchinga Province Commissioner of Police Joel Njase said the incident happened on Friday around 13:30 hours at Chiyanga village in Chieftainess Waitwika’s area of Nakonde District.
Mr Njase said Musukuma Lundo 47 Chiyanga village reported that his mother Emeldah Nambeye 70 of the same abode was murdered by Gift Musukwa 29 of the same village using a machete.
Mr Njase said the deceased sustained a smashed head with multiple deep cuts exposed brain and fractured both legs.
He said the deceased also sustained a broken left hand and cuts on the right hand.
“Brief facts are that, the accused person Gift Musukwa suspected his Grandmother Ketteness Nakayunito, 65, to be a witch. The suspect was recently released from prison and lives with his grand mother.
On Friday at around 09:00 hours his grandmother was out to the market and the suspect went to look for her but did not find her which made him annoyed,”he said.
He said the suspect in his annoyance, saw the deceased Emeldah Nambeye coming his way from the market where she had gone to buy charcoal and mistook her to be his grandmother.
The Commission of Police said a team of detectives that visited the scene of the crime found a dead body lying facing down in a pool of blood.
He said the dead body was physically inspected and the findings are that half of the head was broken into pieces with the brain outside on the ground, broken fractured left leg and multiple cuts on the right legs and right hand.
Mr Njase said the dead body was collected from the scene and deposited at Nakonde District Hospital Mortuary awaiting postmortem examination.
He said the suspect has since been arrested made and the accused person was interviewed in connection to the crime.
He stated that he wanted to kill his grandmother Ketteness Nakayuni whom he suspected to be a witch.
he said the suspect 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.
The suspect will appear in court soon.