SRIKAKULAM: In a gruesome incident, a tribal couple was hacked to death in China Rajapuram village over suspicion of practising black magic in Kotturu mandal in the district in the early hours of Wednesday.
The deceased have been identified as Savara Illango, 55, and Savara Jyothi, 50, of the same village. Based on information from locals, Kotturu police rushed to the spot and launched an investigation.
Family members of Illango claimed that Savara Thotayya attacked them with a sharp-edged knife and fled from the spot after confirming their death. According to Kotturu police, Savara Thotayya of China Rajapuram has a two-year-old daughter who has been facing health issues for few months.
Thotayya suspected Savara Illango of practising witchcraft as his daughter was not recovering from the illness. He held a grudge against Illango and decided to eliminate him.
As part of this, he entered Illango’s house on Thursday midnight and attacked him with a sharp-edged knife. He later attacked Illango’s wife, Jyothi, when she tried to rescue her husband.
He then fled from the spot. Illango’s son Kisai, who was sleeping on the terrace, came to the house and found his parents in a pool of blood.
The couple is survived by three children, including a married daughter and two minor boys. Speaking to the TNIE, Kotturu sub-inspector K Venkatesh said, “The accused held a grudge against Illango over accusations of witchcraft as his two-year-old daughter is suffering from illness. He attacked them with a sharp-edged weapon and stabbed them to death. We have completed the autopsy at RIMS, Srikakulam, and handed over the bodies to their family members. A case has been registered under various sections of the BNS, 2023, and an investigation has been launched to catch the accused.”