Maputo — The Mozambican police have arrested some of the people who looted the home in the southern city of Matola of a woman had been accused of trafficking in children.

No serious evidence was produced against the woman, Estrela Mabunda, but the emotions stirred by the mention of child trafficking were sufficient to mobilise a mob to raid her house in the Liberdade neighbourhood.

The looting was filmed by the independent television station, STV, which ought to make it easy for the police to identify some of those involved.

According to a report in Friday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias", the police arrested a young man who had stolen Mabunda's television set, and sold it to one of his neighbours for 2,600 meticais (74 US dollars). The police acted in time to recover the TV set, which was still in a good condition.

A second detained youth showed the police two house, where he had sold an electric and gas cooker stolen from Mabunda, and one of her sofas.

But the owners of other houses where stolen goods had been stashed made themselves scarce when they realized that the police were on their trail. Some of the goods have been taken to other parts of Matola. That is the case, for example, with Mabunda's fridge and freezer, which the thief has offered for sale for 4,000 meticais.

The police assured "Noticias" that they are issuing arrest warrants for all those whom they know were involved in the looting.

The neighbourhood district secretary, Estevao Chitachi, told reporters he believed the attack on Mabunda's house had been planned long in advance, and the ringleaders just waited for a convenient excuse to put their plan into action. Anyone who took part in the looting "should pay", he insisted, because people had to learn to take the problems to the relevant authorities rather than take the law into their own hands.

The claims of child trafficking were no more than rumours, he pointed out, and asked "Did those who took the property deliver it to the child who had supposedly been kidnapped in order to show solidarity with him? No, they didn't! They took it to their own homes in the name of something that has never been proved".

"Rumour is one of the worst weapons of destruction", Chitachi exclaimed. "Everybody talks, but nobody proves anything. So there nothing to be done except put in prison all those who took part in the looting".