Police Issue Warning to Bald Men in African Nation

They may be targeted for ritual attacks in Mozambique
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 7, 2017 1:19 PM CDT
Bald Men May Be Targeted in Mozambique
Stock photo   (Getty Images/FotoMaximum)

Police have issued a warning to bald men in Mozambique: They could be targeted for ritual attacks. Five men were recently murdered for their body parts, the BBC reports. "The belief is that the head of a bald man contains gold," a police commander explains. "[Suspects'] motive comes from superstition and culture—the local community thinks bald individuals are rich." One of the men, for example, had his head cut off and his organs removed so medicine men could use them in rituals believed to bring clients their own riches.

Two suspects have been arrested in two of the murders, AFP reports. Police say the attacks are similar to ones that target albino people, who have also been known to be murdered for reasons related to witchcraft and healer rituals. These are the first such attacks on bald men in the region, but the Telegraph reports albino people have been subjects of more than 100 attacks in Mozambique since 2014, per the UN. (We're one step closer to predicting baldness.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X