Tribe of cannibals in Papua New Guinea Arrested

Sydney - The police in remote areas of Papua New Guinea to hold the members of a tribe of cannibals who is alleged to have killed at least seven people, eating their brains and make soup of their genitals.

29 suspects were part of a group of 1,000 people formed to fight the witch doctor said to apply a very high cost, such as The National newspaper reported.

Cost shaman to mention the cause of death or ward off evil spirits are usually of 1000 kina (about Rp 4, 4 million), plus a bag of pork and rice, but some are demanding sex in return.

"This is contrary to our ethical and moral tradition for a shaman to have sex with another man's wife or teenage daughter," said one of the leaders of these cults in Tangi area, inland Madang province on the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea.

"It is a major cause of frustration that leads to the formation of a group to hunt down the witch doctor."

"Over time, when the suspects were released to resume duty as a healer, we're tired and fed up."

There is a widespread belief in Papua New Guinea, where many people do not accept natural causes to explain a misfortune, sickness, accident, or death.

Local residents are determined to get revenge on the witch who seek profit, with the supernatural training of village heads and use their knives that have been "filled" to hunt down and kill seven people since April, the report said.

"We ate their brains and take their body parts like liver, heart, genitals and other body parts and brought to the Hausman (traditional house), to head coach in order to create forces that can be used by members," said one of them captured.

Police officers raided the village Biamb last week and arrested 29 people, eight of whom are women.

A local supernatural expert cited the newspaper said that the way the group operates differently from the traditional practice of Papua New Guinea Hausman, who usually train specific people to hunt down a sanguma (shaman).

"But these people never kill the shaman in the daytime, mutilated, and eat meat, heart, and liver or making soup from the genitals of the witch doctor," he said.

"It's insane and cannibalism group has exceeded the local culture."

Madang provincial police commander, Anthony Wagambie urged the followers of other groups, are believed to number over 1,000, to give up.

"This is the top issue and much remains to be done to educate local people to eradicate the movement," he told The National.

"The police can not do it alone. It requires concerted efforts from governments, relevant agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the churches to work together," he added.