Police have arrested a man and are looking for another for cannibalism in northeastern Bhakkar district of Pakistan on Monday.
Arif, in his early 30s, had earlier been convicted of cannibalism in April 2011 along with his brother Farman. The two brothers were sentenced to one-year imprisonment, and a fine of Rs 200,000 ($2000) in 2012. They were released in May 2013 after completion of their term.
“The police raided the accused's house on a complaint from their neighbors, and recovered the remains of a child from there,“ the city police chief Ameer Abdullah told Anadolu Agency.
The police are conducting raids to arrest the other accused who still remains at large.
Abdullah said the police suspected that the two brothers had dug up and devoured parts of over 150 disinterred bodies.
They had been caught red handed by locals when they dug up a grave, and removed the body of a child (in 2011),” Muzzamil Hussein, a next-door neighbor of the accused, told reporters.
Hussein explained that the two brothers were handed down just a year-long sentence, and were released in 2013. Local residents held protests against the release of the two brothers who disappeared for a few months, he added.
The two remained out of sight for some time after their release, and returned a couple of months ago.
“We kept an eye on them because we suspected that they would resume this gruesome activity, ” Hussein said.
"The stench of rotten flesh, which later turned out to be that of human, propelled the neighbors to inform the police about the cannibals", he added.
Since, there are no specific laws to deal with cannibalism in Pakistan, the two brothers were arrested for “creating law and order situation” by inciting public outrage.
The two spent most of their jail term in King Edward Medical College Lahore, and were examined by neurophysicians.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
