A 6-year old boy's hand chopped off for being albino in Tanzania

6-year old, Baraka Cosmas has had his right palm chopped off in a targeted attack in Kipenda village, Rukwa region Tanzania, MSN reports.

Regional police commander, Jacob Mruanda said the boy had been sleeping at home with his mother when a gang of assailants stormed the house late Saturday. After beating the boy's mother severally for refusing to let him go, they chopped off the boy's right palm with a machete and walked out.

There is a high prevalence of albino murders/attacks in Tanzania as some are of the belief that their body parts can bring good luck and wealth and this is the latest in a series of attacks that has plagued the country in the last couple of years.

Last week, 4 people were sentenced to death for the murder of an albino woman.

According to a United Nations expert, attacks on people with albinism have claimed the lives of at least 75 people since 2000. It's also reported that albino body parts sell for around $600 (about N119,700) with an entire corpse fetching $75,000 (about N14 million).