Police in Nyagatare are holding six people in connection to a mob attack on a family the attackers accused of practicing witchcraft in the area.

A family was left homeless after their house was destroyed in the attack in Shonga Village, Tabagwe Sector in Nyagatare District last week.

It is alleged that a mob went on rampage, destroying two houses of the accused family, after residents claimed that the family were responsible for a number of deaths in the village.

Marie Angelique Akimana, a neighbour, said the accused family was responsible for a number deaths.

"When people forced their way into the two houses, they found strange objects; animal hides and tails of reptiles apparently used to poison people. That family has been killing people and they should be banished from the village,” she said.

Christophe Kabana, the executive secretary of the sector, confirmed the incident, noting that it was a surprise.

"There have been silent rumours in the village about witchcraft, but there has never been any official complaint.

We were surprised when we discovered that irate residents destroyed the houses of the family. We are working to return sanity in the village,’ he said.

Arrests made

The Eastern Region Police Spokesman, Emmanuel Kayigi, told The New Times that people who were involved in the houses destruction had been detained.

Kayigi warned residents against taking the law in their hands, adding that the suspects would be prosecuted.

"We are holding at least six people in connection with the incident. The claim that the family members practiced witchcraft that led to deaths of some people cannot be immediately substantiated. And, as if that is not enough, they destroyed the family’s homes,” he said.

Members of the family whose houses were destroyed are said to have fled to a village across the border in Uganda.

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