A 21-year-old Traditional Doctor from Chilanga has been detained for allegedly giving charms to three boys, one aged 10 and two 11-year-olds on the pretext that they will have power to win any fight.
Police Public Relations Officer, Rae Hamoonga, tells Byta FM Zambia that the arrest follows a report received from four parents that James Mumba who was practicing as a Traditional Doctor gave charms to four boys aged between 10 and 13 on 1st December, 2023.
Hamoonga explains that on 30th November, 2023, around 16:00 hours, the suspect engaged the four boys at his house to remove grass in his yard and never agreed the amount to pay them.
After the boys did the work, the suspect told them to come to his house the following day for payments and when they went there, the suspect told them that he will not give them money but power to use when fighting.
He instructed the boys to go at the grave yard and pick some soil from a fresh grave and come with a shoelace each, and when they did, the Traditional Doctor made some charms by boiling the soil, shoelaces and a head of a snake.
Hamoonga explains that the Traditional Doctor put the liquid charm in three bottles and gave the boys with instructions that in the morning they should drink a bit of it and when bathing should pour in bathing water for five days.
The boys carried the instructions for two days then later stopped, with one of them informing his parents over the ordeal, and other guardians were also informed.
Hamoonga says Police visited the scene of crime and recovered some of the charms which will be taken to the food and drug Laboratory at University Teaching Hospital for a toxicology examination, while the children were taken to the Clinic for a Medical checkup.
He states that the boy aged 13 was not given the charms for he went late and was asked to go the following day.
Police are investigating the matter.
Byta FM
