Police in Samfya District of Luapula Province have arrested a couple for allegedly killing their neighbour’s three-year-old son and removing the heart for sale.

However the intended buyer reported the couple to the police, leading to the arrest of the suspects.

Bonaventure Mwewa and his wife Esnart of Kabanga area in Samfya are currently in detention at Samfya Police station after being reported to have murdered their neighbour’s son, whose heart they allegedly attempted to sell to Patrick Mwansa, a local businessman.

A source at Luapula Police Division told News Diggers! that Mwansa expressed shock at the offer presented to him, and instead rushed to report the matter to the police, who immediately moved in and apprehended the couple.

“There is a couple, which killed their neighbour’s son in Kabanga area. The couple’s names are Bonaventure Mwewa and Esnart Mwewa. They even removed his heart, which they went to sell to a local businessman Patrick Mwansa. They told him that they needed money. But Mr Mwansa expressed shock that he doesn’t deal in ritual dealings and reported the matter to the police. Police quickly moved in and arrested the couple last night (Monday night). The body and heart of the boy, who was only three years old, are lying in the hospital mortuary at Samfya District Hospital,” narrated the source.

Police Spokesperson Esther Katongo confirmed the arrest in a statement but could not name the suspects, apart from stating that the couple was aged 27 and 22 respectively and both from Kabanga village in Chief Kasoma Bangweulu’s area.

“It was reported that on Sunday, 10th February 2019, around 12:00 hours, the deceased went missing from his home and his uncle aged 47, made a report at Samfya police station. After intensive investigations, the two suspects led the police to the scene of murder where they found the body of the child bundled in a sack and hidden in the bush. Police also recovered a suspected human heart, which was concealed in a lunchbox, believed to have been removed from the deceased,” explained katongo.