Three women among four beheaded for practising witchcraft

Balasore, Aug 30 (UNI) Superstition reared its ugly head in Orissa when the villagers beheaded four tribals, including three women, suspecting them of practising sorcery.

The gruesome killing was carried out by the people of the tribal- dominated Baligili village of Pratappur under Nilgiri police station on August 26 last after a meeting in which it was decided to punish the four tribals for allegedly practising black magic.

The deceased, including a couple Tuli alias Budhhini Singh and her husband Rabi alias Soren Singh of Khunta in Mayurbhanj district, besides two others Pia Singh and Samabari Singh of Pratappur village were hacked to death and later beheaded.

Their heads were buried in a village field, while the bodies were packed in a gunny bag and thrown into Sono and Budhabalang river.

Police acting on a tip-off swung into action and recovered three decapitated bodies from the riverbed of the Sono and the Budhabalanga.

Police said the villagers started suspecting the four tribals, following death of one Raju Singh, son of Siba Singh, a ward member of the village in snake bite on August 14 last.

The villagers suspected it to be the handiwork of these four accused, believed to be practising sorcery in the village. Over 150 villagers then gathered at a place on the night of August 26 and decided to take revenge on them.

Balasore Additional Superintendent of Police P K Das, supervising the case, said so far three bodies had been found under three different police stations and cases were registered under Section 302 and 211 of IPC.

Sources said the husband of Pia Singh was too murdered in 2006 on the suspicion of practising witchcraft. Police had detained two people in connection with the incident, while majority of the male members in the village had fled the village, fearing arrest.

UNI