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Murder carries 'marks of ritual'
12/04/2007 10:35 - (SA)
Libreville - A three-year-old in Gabon was killed after having been kidnapped, raped and burnt with an iron as part of what may have been a ritualistic ceremony, family members and others said on Wednesday.
One of the suspects in the killing was attacked by an angry crowd on Tuesday and later died from his wounds, they said. Police have detained the other two.
The young boy, named Diamant, disappeared from his home in the capital of Libreville on Sunday afternoon and his body was discovered that night in a car, his grandmother said.
There were burns on his feet and back.
Police confirmed the incident, but declined to give further details.
The head of the Gabonese Association for the Fight Against Ritual Crimes said the murder carried the marks of a ritual, a recurring practice in the country.
The rituals often involve kidnapping young people and mutilating them to collect body parts to be used in ceremonies believed to bring health, power and wealth.
Jean-Elvis Ebang Ondo, president of the association, said the boy's fingers and tongue were collected.
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