BARBIL: A person was arrested for brutally murdering a woman and gouging out her eyes on suspicion of sorcery in Dampur village within Joda police limits here. The arrested was identified as Jagannath Munda.
Police sources said the victim, 45-year-old Jasmati Munda, and Jagannath were neighbours. Jasmati was fond of Jagannath’s one-year-old daughter and often took the kid home for playing with her. About a month back, Jagannath’s daughter fell sick following which she was taken to a witch doctor of nearby Panaguta village for treatment.
The witch doctor reportedly told Jagannath that a woman of his village had cast black magic on her daughter following which she fell ill. As the description given by the witch doctor matched with the appearance of Jasmati, Jagannath hatched a plan to murder her.
On Sunday, the accused attacked Jasmati with an iron rod when she was alone at her home. While Jasmati died on the spot, Jagannath gouged out her eyes in a fit of rage to avenge her daughter’s illness. Police seized Jasmati’s body and sent it for autopsy. Jagannath was produced in court and remanded in judicial custody.