Post News Network
Mohana, June 1: The police Monday arrested 12 persons for allegedly killing two persons of Paderma village under the block in Gajapati district on suspicion of practising sorcery and later burning their bodies.
The arrested persons have been identified as Ananta Majhi, Sudhir Majhi, Bikram Majhi, Resanta Majhi, Samuel Majhi, Bharat Mallick of Badeguda village and Govind Mallick, Krushna Chandra Mallick, Sunil Mallick, Padma Charan Mallick, Mathias Nayak and Pedar Nayak of Paderma village. They were later produced in a local court.
Police took the action against the accused following a complaint by the son of one of the deceased persons May 31. After receiving the complaint, Adaba police went to the spot where the bodies were burnt and seized bones and ashes.
According to police, the incident occurred May 27 but the families of the victims had not filed any complaint immediately as they were allegedly threatened by the accused persons.
The villagers who were involved in the incident had threatened the victims’ families that they would be ostracized if they lodged complaint with the police.
Police claimed that several others like Mamata Mallick, Dukha Mallick, Maren Mallick, Benjamin Majhi and Abelin Majhi of Paderma and Badeguda village had died during the last five years after being affected by diseases and some other reasons.
However, the locals suspected that they had died due to the effect of sorcery. They had been trying to identify the persons who were practising sorcery and involved in the killing of these villagers.
On May 22, three persons of Paderma village had brought two black magicians from Dasapalla area of Nayagarh district to the area to identify persons practising sorcery by using ‘magic cots.’
The black magicians through ‘magic cots’ identified three persons Subas Mallick, Pitela Majhi and Sami Majhi as the culprits.
Next day, the villagers had convened a meeting and imposed fine on these three persons. Sami had paid `60,000 fine to the villagers but the remaining two could not pay the fine amount due to which they were detained by the locals.
On May 27, the villagers had convened another meeting and asked both the persons to pay the fine. As they failed to pay the fine amount, they were attacked by the villagers with lathis and wooden planks.
After they were attacked, the commoners who were present at the meeting left for their homes.
But, the attackers had taken Subas (57) and Pitela (65) to a cremation ground in the area and bludgeoned them to death. They had later burnt their bodies, it is reported.
