Jenda Police in Mzimba are hunting for people who burnt down two houses on Wednesday belonging to 76-year-old woman Maria Nzima and her daughter, Victoria Moyo over witchcraft allegations.
Jenda Police spokesperson, Macfarlen Mseteka said in an interview on Friday that the incident took place at Kamangazi Moyo village under Traditional Authority (T/A) M’mbelwa in the district.
He said people have been accusing Nzima of being responsible for disappearance of a child in the village.
“The villagers claimed that Nzima has been keeping the child in a bottle. This prompted her to leave the village and live with her daughter, far away from the village”, said Mseteka.
Mseteka said Nzima and her daughter were summoned to the village on Wednesday where they were assaulted by the mob that demanded the release of the child.
Mseteka said: “The mob went to the victims’ houses and torched their homes, destroying several properties in the course”.
Meanwhile, Jenda Police has instituted investigations into reports that some traditional leaders were involved in the witch hunt aimed at forcing Nzima to confess her involvement in the missing child.
Reported by Austine Kachilika
