MAPUTO (AFP) - A 17-year-old albino boy was killed and his brain removed for what is believed to be use in witchcraft in Mozambique, local news reports said.

Albinos in Mozambique are often hunted for their body parts, which are used as charms and magical potions in the belief that they bring wealth and good luck.

"The criminals took the bones out of the arms and legs, the hair and broke the head to remove the brain," a local official told Mozambican news agency AIM.

The body was found after the boy was killed on Wednesday (Sept 13) in the Benga area of Tete province, AIM said.

Lurdes Ferreira, a police spokesman in the Tete province, said police are investigating the teenager's kidnap and murder.

"We have launched a search and arrest operation for those responsible for the macabre crime," Ferreira said.

The murder comes four months after a failed attempt by two parents to sell their albino child in Moatize.

Tete, which borders Malawi, is believed to have a large market for albino organ trafficking.

There have been more than 100 attacks against albinos in Mozambique since 2014, according to the UN, with hunters persecuting them for everything from their toes to their faeces.