A 43-year-old woman accused of threatening violence and practising witchcraft has been found dead in a police cell at Rugarama Police Station in Ntungamo District. The deceased has been identified as Jackline Mbabazi, a resident of Nyakahanga Cell in Ntungamo District.
Samson Kasasira, the Rwizi Region Police Spokesperson, said Mbabazi was found hanging inside the female cell at about 4 pm on Monday as police officers went to remove her from the cell. Kasasira said preliminary findings indicate that Mbabazi may have died by suicide.
He said Mbabazi had been arrested on Sunday, September 13, on allegations of threatening violence against her neighbour, Prudence Twikirize, who had accused her of witchcraft.
Preliminary investigations indicate that part of Mbabazi’s dress had been torn, with police suspecting that she used the piece of cloth to hang herself.
Kasasira said police also suspect that Mbabazi used motorcycles that had been kept inside the female cell to climb towards the roof, where she allegedly tied the cloth.
He said a postmortem examination found signs of obstruction of the airway, with the fingers folded, eyes half-closed and the tongue clenched between the teeth. Kasasira said the body was found about 2.5 feet above the ground, with a prominent ligature mark around the neck. No arrests have been made in connection with the death, and police say investigations are ongoing-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
