A man was allegedly killed by a group of villagers and his body buried in a forest on suspicion of practising witchcraft in Odisha's Gajapati district, police reported on Thursday.
The incident occurred in Kusumpur village on the night of July 28. The deceased, Karunakar Dalai, was known for working as a quack, reported PTI.
The case was brought to the attention of authorities on Wednesday when Karunakar's sister-in-law, Sabita Dalai, filed a complaint with the Mohana police.
Sabita stated that on July 28, some people called Karunakar away for a meeting at the local anganwadi, after which he disappeared. When she inquired, she was told that villagers had beaten him.
According to Gajapati Superintendent of Police Jatindra Kumar Panda, the investigation revealed that Karunakar prescribed ayurvedic-like medicines.
According to PTI, about 15 to 20 days prior to the incident, he had given medicine to a 12-year-old boy who had been bitten by a dog. The boy died a few days later.
"Angry over the death of the boy and a few similar cases that took place recently, a group of 10 to 12 people beat Karunakar to death and buried his body in a nearby jungle," the SP told PTI. He noted that while other villagers were aware of the killing, they did not report it.
Police recovered Karunakar's body from the forest on Thursday and have detained eight individuals for interrogation.
Reportedly, this is the second killing related to witchcraft suspicion in the Mohana police limits in a short period. Previously, a 35-year-old man was allegedly strangled to death in Malasapadar village.
The perpetrators cut off his private parts and threw his body into the Harabhangi Dam. His body was recovered on Sunday, and several villagers were arrested.
