RANCHI: A 61-year-old man was allegedly hacked to death with a sharp-edged weapon on Wednesday morning over suspicions of practising witchcraft. The incident took place in Mangaradeeh village under Shahpur panchayat in Naudiha Bazar block of Palamu district.
The deceased has been identified as Sitaram.
According to reports, 30-year-old Vivek Kumar, a resident of the same village, had been ill for about 10 days and was undergoing treatment. Vivek suspected that Sitaram, who lived somewhat apart from the rest of the village, had cast a spell on him or practised sorcery.
This suspicion led to tension between the two parties. According to villagers, during a confrontation, Sitaram was attacked with a weapon, resulting in his death. The police are investigating the case.
Police are questioning the deceased’s family members, neighbours and others connected with the incident. They have yet to identify the assailants or establish how many people were involved in the killing.
“We are investigating the role of everyone connected with the incident. Whether any member of Vivek Kumar’s family was involved will become clear only after the investigation is completed,” said SDPO Prashant Kumar. He added that the police were examining all possible angles to identify the suspects and that further action would be taken based on the evidence gathered.