Post News Network
Rayagada, May 13: Police Wednesday claimed to have arrested the prime accused along with seven others in a case in which a beheaded body was recovered from Katuru village under the local police limits six days back. The deceased was murdered on the charge of practising sorcery.
Prime accused R Dharmaraju and others have been arrested and produced in court on the charge of killing CH Narayandora of the village , SDPO Y Jagannath Rao and IIC Kapileswar Behera told the media at a press conference held in police station premises.
According to police, people had taken the body of P Chanti of the village to the cremation ground after he died April 29. Meanwhile, Narayandora came to the spot and started some rituals near the body. Seeing this, Dharmaraju attacked him with a crowbar saying he had already killed a person of the village for practicing witchcraft. Narayandora died on the spot.
While others present at the cremation ground fled the scene out of fear, Dharmaraju tied the body with a stone and threw it in a nearby river. The body was stuck near a bridge at the confluence point of Nagabali and Jhanjabati rivers. Later, deceased’s son, Ramakanta, oblivious of the development, lodged a missing report of his father with police.
Coming to know about the filing of missing report, Dharmaraju went near the bridge and severed the head from the body with the help of A Gourishankar, Jani Madhu, A Santosh, J Petaya, A China and A Chanti to destroy evidence. However, locals informed the incident to the police following which an investigation was launched.