By Laurina B Lormia
An elderly woman, identified only as Ma Frances, has reportedly suffered from severe burns after being doused with boiling water by a pregnant woman in Bardnersville, Kesseley Boulevard.
According to the victim, the suspect repeatedly accused her of being a witch.
She explained that these accusations had been ongoing for some time, causing her emotional distress and discomfort as she faced persistent verbal attacks from the suspect.
She stressed that, the incident occurred early Saturday morning when she got through praying over a severe stomach pain, she believed was caused by food given to her by the suspect, Helena, according to Ma Frances, asked God to deliver her from what she described as “harmful food.”
“The pain was unbearable,” Ma Frances recounted. “I had no choice but to call on God to deliver me from whatever harm was in the food.”
She added that the suspect accused her of referring to her as an evil person during the prayer. Enraged, Helena allegedly boiled water in a percolator, came out of her room, and poured the water on her while she laid on her back resting.
In the immediate aftermath, Ma Frances sought police intervention.
However, according to her, the police instructed Helena and her husband to ensure the victim receive medical treatment before they could proceed with the case.
Helena, under the guise of fetching water from a well, reportedly fled the community and remains at large.
Ma Frances revealed that the incident is just the latest in a series of maltreatments she has endured since October.
She said she has been repeatedly accused by family and community members of being a witch following the deaths of her 15 children and husband.
“I have been through so much,” she said tearfully. “Since my children and husband passed, I have nowhere to go. I went to my late sister’s house to seek refuge, but even there, they have been tormenting me.”
According to Ma Frances, Helena allegedly paid disadvantaged youths to destroy her belongings by throwing them into the swamp.
On another occasion, she claimed, Helena hired someone to assault her.
“All these things are happening because I don’t have children by my side,” Ma Frances lamented.
However, the incident has sparked outrage in the community, with residents calling on law enforcement to locate and arrest the suspect.
Meanwhile, it can be recalled in March, another senior citizen, believed to be in her mid-eighties, was featured in a widely circulated and controversial video.
The video depicted her in a confused state, possibly suffering from dementia or another age-related condition, while being subjected to physical abuse by individuals who barbarically accused her of witchcraft.
Many expressed concerns over the vulnerable state of elderly individuals like Ma Frances, urging authorities to take swift action to prevent further abuse.
