Bhawanipatna: A 60-year-old man was killed allegedly on suspicion of practising sorcery in Odisha’s Kalahandi district, police said Tuesday.
Four people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder, the police said.
The deceased was identified as Raghu Patra of Kandama village under Lanjigarh block of Kalahandi district. Patra was missing since July 30.
After receiving a missing person complaint from Raghu’s family members, the Biswanathpur police in Kalahandi district started an investigation. The police were able to trace the body of Patra Monday.
The body was found lying on the railway tracks near Dahikhal in neighbouring Rayagada district. The local police sent it to the Government Railway Police (GRP) station at Rayagada as it was an unidentified body at that time, a police officer said.
After receiving the body, the Biswanathpur police Monday conducted an investigation with the help of a sniffer dog and a scientific team in the village and detained two suspects, Naresh Dora and Sunai Harijan, he said.
During interrogation, Naresh admitted to committing the crime with the help of his associates, the officer said.
Naresh and his accomplices, Sunai, Pradeep Harijan and Bhola Dora, intercepted the deceased and murdered him and threw the body on the railway track near the Dahikhal station.
From preliminary investigation, it was established that the accused Naresh’s father, Dushamanta, died a month ago, and the family suspected that Raghu killed him by using his black magic power. Since then, Naresh has been following Raghu’s movement.
Inspector in Charge of Biswanathpur police station, Tulsiram Sabar, said the above four accused persons involved in the incident were arrested and forwarded to court. Further investigation is going on, he said.
PTI
