POLICE in Mozambique are looking for two unidentified Zimbabwean businessmen who are reported to be part of a human trafficking syndicate in that country.
Five Mozambicans have since been arrested in the scam and are in police custody, according to media reports from the neighbouring country.
Manica province police spokesperson, Mateus Mindu, said the victims are two minors and the suspects include the children’s parents and two intermediaries engaged by the Zimbabwean men.
“In the first case, a 31 year-old woman was arrested on Monday, while waiting for a ‘buyer’, with whom she had negotiated the sale of her 13 year-old firstborn for a price of two million meticais (US$25 000) to a Zimbabwean businessman with strong commercial links in Mozambique,” Mindu said.
In a separate arrest, last Friday, a couple was arrested while attempting to sell their eight-month old albino baby for about one million meticais (about US$13 000) to another Zimbabwean buyer.
“The buyers’ intermediaries made contact from Manica and arranged this meeting, where they were arrested. We call on people not to stoop to this type of crime for survival,” said Mindu.
He said police in Mozambique and Zimbabwe were pursuing the two businessmen. – Zimbabwe Voice
