Hubby dies from Covid-19, wife and daughter accused of practising sorcery, tortured

 News that matter in Papua New Guinea

 

Both mother (top) and daughter are recovering from sorcery-torture-inflicted injuries in Goroka Hospital.

Hubby dies from Covid-19, wife and daughter accused of practising sorcery, tortured

PORT MORESBY: As if it was not tragic enough for a woman to lose her husband to Coronavirus (Covid-19), she had to endure days of death-threatening torture by her husband’s relatives.

The 45-year-old woman and her 19-year-old daughter were accused by their relatives of using sorcery to kill the husband.

The daughter even survived after being thrown into a river from Marasin Bridge.

 

Both mother and daughter were rescued by police in a settlement called Bush Fire in Goroka, Eastern Highlands on March 30, 2021.

They have been admitted to he Goroka Hospital with broken arms, burn marks, cuts on their arms, heads and bodies.

Such is the cruelty of uncivilised people.

PNG Cyber Monitor reproduces below the full story of the ordeal of mother and daughter as published by The National:

 

Sorcery-Covid torture

April 1, 2021The NationalMain Stories

By MIRIAM ZARRIGA and LULU MARK
POLICE have rescued a woman and her daughter who were accused of practising sorcery and tortured for several days after her community health worker (CHW) husband is believed to have died from a coronovirus (Covid-19) infection.
Both mother, 45, and daughter, 19, had broken arms and burn marks and cuts on their arms, heads and bodies when police found them captive in a settlement called Bush Fire in Goroka, Eastern Highlands, on Tuesday.
EHP commander Supt Michael Welly told The National that a relative in Port Moresby alerted Goroka police after she was informed of the sorcery-induced torture by angry relatives.
He said the relatives were angered after the woman’s husband, from Goroka’s Fimito, died in hospital after he was suspected of being infected by the Covid-19.
He was a community health worker (CHW) at Lopi clinic.
Goroka Hospital doctors confirmed that both mother and daughter had tested positive for the Covid-19.
Supt Welly said the husband’s relatives, who held the woman and daughter captive and tortured them with hot iron rods for days, were on the run.
According to initial police investigations, the daughter was also taken to Marasin Bridge by the relatives and thrown into the river.
When they saw she was still alive, the relatives went down to the river and tried to kill her.
The daughter then pleaded for her life and told the relatives that she intentionally lied and admitted to sorcery.
The relatives then took the daughter back to the house to be interrogated when someone texted the relative in Port Moresby about the ordeal the mother and daughter were subjected to.
Supt Welly said police investigations were still in progress and advised the husband’s relatives to surrender.
“There is nowhere for them to run to or hide because we know who you are,” he said.
Goroka MP Aiye Tambua condemned the senseless torture of the woman and her daughter by villagers and settlers in Fimito.
“It is plain barbaric,” he said, adding that he had urged Supt Welly to seriously and fully investigate the crime.
He said the sorcery torturers must face the full brunt of the law for the crime and sorcery issues to be addressed.
Tambua extended his condolences to the family (mother and daughter) of the late CHW.
Meanwhile, on the Covid-19 situation in Goroka, Tambua said awareness were being carried out to urge the people to adhere strictly to the new normal public health protocols.
“This province needs vaccines for our front line workers and more test kits,” he said.
“I have spoken to the health minister (Jelta Wong) and he has assured that the vaccines and test kits would be sent as soon as possible.”