Police in Lwengo district are investigating a strange incident in which unknown people exhumed the body of a prominent witchdoctor and took the remains.
The incident is said to have occurred at Kasambya-Kalegero village in Malongo sub-county on Monday night.
The deceased identified as Emmanuel Lutwama passed away in July 2020 after prolonged illness.
The tomb raiders dug up a hole to enter the grave and retrieved the remains of their choice.
Lutwama’s wife had gone to the banana plantation to get food when she saw scattered clothes around the grave and a hole.
She then notified other residents about the incident and called the police to the scene of crime to investigate.
According to Jane Francis Katende, the Kasambya-Kalegero LCI Chairperson, the thieves retrieved the remains from the coffin and took the head, arms and abandoned the rest in a plantation about 50 meters from the grave.
Family members say that he was buried after performing rituals to deter cannibals and any person who may want to take their remains but it was unfortunate to see that someone dug the grave and took the remains.
They explain that the incident is not only shocking to the family members but the entire village.
They add that they are to rebury the remains in another grave since the cultural norms do not permit to return them to the same grave.
Now, the family is searching for the rest of the remains to collect them and rebury them in their complete form. They appealed to the police to help track down the thieves and bring them to justice.
Muhammad Nsubuga, the Southern Regional Police spokesperson, says the motive behind the theft of the remains unknown.
He says they are investigating malicious damage to grave and taking human remains without the consent of a family members.
English 