A KEY suspect in the horrendous killing of Ruth Mbandu, a Lusaka-based student, has given police gory details of the execution of the murder which shocked the nation.
Police, who confirmed the arrest of two suspects believed to be accomplices in the killing, said one of them has confessed and volunteered information, detailing that Ruth was raped by one of the suspects before they removed her facial skin and poked her eyes while she was still alive.
The eyes were packed in a plastic “for ritual purposes.”
Lusaka Province police commissioner Solomon Jere said the suspect, who was apprehended in Mpika where he had been hiding, is also believed to be linked to some rape cases in Mpika, in an attempt to distance himself from Ruth’s murder.
Dr Jere said the suspect, whose identity has been withheld for fear of jeopardising investigations, confessed that Ruth was ‘skinned alive’ while she was unconscious and died as a result of excessive bleeding.
The police chief said in an interview yesterday that Police have, however, not established whether the suspects are linked to five other suspects arrested earlier, adding that the investigation is likely to produce more surprises as it unfolds.
He said the suspect, who is in his 30s, narrated to Police that his group had been stalking Ruth for some time before they brutally pounced on her on the fateful day.
“This man (suspect) volunteered the information to Police and what he has told us is consistent with our own findings and this is a plus on our police officers. They hit Ruth on the head and bundled her into a bus, injected her with a chemical and she became unconscious,” Dr Jere said.
“We will know the whole truth because a normal person cannot do such a thing. Even me as commissioner of police, I am still shocked. We have had murders before but this one is a very strange murder.”
Dr Jere said the suspects involved in the case are sophisticated and that there are some “interesting names” connected to the murder of the National Institute for Public Administration student.
He said Police are also yet to determine the sponsor of the bizarre mission and that it is not true that police were hindered by black magic in investigating the matter.
“Whether there is black or white magic, Police will always pounce on the suspects. Members of the public should desist from condemning Police, but allow them to do their job and when we advise, you should have confidence in us, knowing well that we will get to the bottom of an issue,” Dr Jere said.
He said there is a likelihood of arresting more suspects and that Police only had two suspects by press time and that most of the suspects are Kanyama and Chibolya residents.
Daily Mail