Police at Mponela in Dowa have arrested 45 year old herbalist, Thom Binison, for raping a woman as a way of restoring her marriage.
According to Dowa police station’s publicist Kondwani Kandiado, the victim who got married some nine years ago was sent back from marriage following a fierce disagreement that arose with her husband.
The victim then started staying with her sister at Madisi trading centre in the district where she decided to seek services of a herbalist to help restore her marriage.
On 17 January, this year, the woman went to meet the suspect where she was asked to pay a fee of K1000, assuring her of getting assistance.
She was then asked to go to the herbalist’s house during the night so that they should finalise the deal.
At midnight, the victim was taken to the graveyard where she was asked to have sex with herbalist for the herbs to work effectively and she was threatened that she would go mad or die if she refused.
The victim gave in to the herbalist’s demand for sex but after some days, she experienced no change, a thing that prompted her to return to him again where she was asked to pay an extra K2,000.
She was asked to return to him at midnight, a thing she never did and was asked to surrender her cellphone as she had no money.
After noticing again that there was no change of heart from her husband, the victim informed her relatives who later informed the police.
The suspect was then arrested by Madisi police unit officers and upon interviewing him, he admitted to have had sex with the woman at the graveyard.
The herbalist (suspect) Thom Binison hails from Makala village in the area of Traditional Authority Mlonyeni in Mchinji and will appear before court soon to answer rape charges.
