Rwanda: Alleged serial killer who hid bodies in his kitchen arrested

A 34-year-old suspected serial killer in Rwanda has been arrested after authorities found more than 10 bodies buried in his kitchen. According to BBC, a spokesman for the Rwanda Investigation Bureau said most of the victims the suspect allegedly murdered were prostitutes. 

This case is said to have rattled the East African nation as murder is quite rare. The suspected serial killer is said to have buried the victims – including men and women – in the kitchen of a home he was renting in the country’s capital city of Kigali. His alleged criminal actions came to light after he was evicted from the property.

In an interview with local news outlet The New Times, a police official said the man started a fight with police officers who had gone to the home on Monday to evict him.

“He apologized and cried excessively, which raised our suspicions. It is at the police station where he confessed to having killed some people, prompting Rib [Rwanda Investigation Bureau] to investigate,” the official said.

Rib spokesman Thierry Murangira also said the actual number of bodies that have been recovered from the crime scene would be accounted for after forensic investigations.

“He operated by luring his victims, mostly prostitutes, to his home where he would rob them of their phones and belongings and then strangled them to death and buried them in a hole dug in the kitchen of his rented house,” said Murangira.

In July, the suspected serial killer was arrested after he was accused of robbing, raping and threatening some women, per BBC. He was, however, released due to insufficient evidence. Authorities are also yet to bring charges against him in connection with the recent murders. 

In July, Face2Face Africa also reported that a 21-year-old South African man accused of murdering six sex workers, including one who was pregnant, was additionally charged with rape. 

According to Eyewitness News, Sifiso Mkhwanazi was arrested and charged in connection with the killings last October after authorities found the victims’ decomposed bodies at a workshop owned by his father.