Residents of a Papua New Guinea mining town say they found a man with a history of drug abuse allegedly eating his screaming, newborn son during a sorcery initiation ceremony.
Police say locals on the outskirts of Tabubil, in Western Province, woke on Thursday to the screams of the baby.
An angry mob chased the man to the police station where he was detained after a short struggle.
Police say the discovery was too late to save the baby, who died of his injuries.
Tabubil police commander Demas Tapea says they have reports that the man was carrying out a sorcery ritual.
He says the community is angry but there is also a lot of anxiety because of the widespread belief in sorcery.
Dozens of people die each year in PNG in sorcery-related murders.
