Bald men are warned: Witch doctors think killing them brings wealth

“Witch doctor butchery” has allegedly led to the deaths of five men in two months in the central region of Mozambique, a south African country.

All five men had something in common: They were bald.

As a result, bald men in the region have been warned by authorities to be vigilant, as they believe a local superstition is leading people to seek out and murder those who are bald, per NPR.

According to the Guardian, the fist two victims were killed in May in brutal attacks. Both were men over 40, and one had his head and his organs removed after the killing.

Two suspects were arrested, according to AFP, and they told police that the bald men’s organs and body parts were used by witch doctors and traditional heales in a ritual intended to increase the suspects’ wealth.

“Their motivations come from superstition and culture: the local community thinks bald individuals are rich,” police spokesman Inacio Dina told the Telegraph.

More specifically, BBC News reports, some locals and witch doctors believe that bald men have gold in their heads

“The belief is that the head of a bald man contains gold,” another police commander told the BBC.

Since June, three other bald men have been killed as well, per NPR and the BBC. As a result, bald men around the country are now afraid to go out in public with their heads unconvered, according to NPR. Some are reluctant to go outside at all, while others wear baseball caps in the open.

Bald men are not the only group in south Africa targeted because of their appearance and local superstition. Albino men, women and children in the region, especially Mozambique, are often killed or sold by natural healers who believe their body parts can also be used in rituals to bring good fortune, according to the New York Times.

According to data from the World Bank, tourism in Mozambique has exploded since 2001, increasing from just over 320,000 visitors to more than 1.5 million. However, most of the country’s main tourist attractions are not located in the central districts where the killings have taken place.

This story was originally published June 11, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Bald men are warned: Witch doctors think killing them brings wealth."