In a shocking and disturbing incident, a Cameroonian man was apprehended after being caught removing intravenous drips from cholera patients in an attempt to boost his coffin business.
This unsettling event took place during Cameroon’s worst cholera outbreak in decades, which claimed numerous lives across the Central African country in 2022.
The man, a 36-year-old coffin vendor from Limbe, a coastal city in the southwest region of Cameroon, saw the epidemic as a grim business opportunity.
His coffin sales had been underwhelming, and in his desperation, he devised a macabre scheme to increase demand for his products.
ALSO READ: Watch: Zim businesswoman duped, receives bale of rags instead of clothes
Limbe’s local hospital, overwhelmed with cholera patients, became the focal point of his plan.
According to reports from Mikozi Network, the vendor began frequenting the hospital with a sinister purpose.
He believed that by removing the drips from patients, he could hasten their deaths and, consequently, sell more coffins to their grieving families.
One evening, as he was executing his plan, a vigilant nurse noticed his suspicious behavior.
Upon confronting him, the vendor fled the scene, sparking a chaotic pursuit. Hospital staff and concerned members of the public gave chase, eventually capturing him. To prevent his escape, they restrained him until law enforcement arrived and took him into custody.
The revelation of his actions sent shockwaves through the community and beyond, with social media users expressing a mix of horror, outrage, and disbelief.
The unscrupulous nature of his crime, targeting vulnerable patients during a devastating epidemic, has been widely condemned.
Online reactions to the incident were varied and intense. One user, @neptunethezimbo, commented, “It’s not business.
He’s a psychopath serial killer. Who in his sane mind (except large corporations doing it already) would even think of killing people in their community to get sales? Crazy.”
Another user, @wanlov, remarked cynically, “He has figured out how the world operates.” In a similar vein, @lavendertsitsi noted, “In his mind, it’s just business. Nothing personal. Yo.”
Meanwhile, @BritOrigin trivialized the act, saying, “It’s not like this coffin vendor is robbing people and stuff; it’s just a simple drip removal.”
Lastly, @chomupaketi lamented, “Whatever happened to sales and marketing.”