BERHAMPUR: The skeletal remains of a villager were recovered from a forest in Ganjam district on Saturday. It is suspected to be that of 36-year-old Muna Nayak of Damapur village, who was allegedly killed by his fellow villagers for practising sorcery 26 days back. Ten persons were arrested in murder case.
Police said one Laxmi Nayak had on June 21 filed a complaint that her husband, Muna Nayak, had gone to the nearby forest on June 16 and had not returned since then. She alleged that he could have been killed by some people who had earlier accused him of practising witchcraft and held him responsible for the death of five persons. The police then nabbed 10 persons from Damapur and subjected them to intensive interrogation. One of them, Ganesh, confessed to the crime. He said the villagers killed Nayak and set his body on fire. They also buried the bones and skull of Nayak to destroy the evidence.
On the basis of the confession of Ganesh, the police managed to recover the skeletal remains of Nayak from the forest, three km from Damapur. The bones have been sent to MKCG Medical for examination.
The arrested villagers told the police that they had warned Nayak a number of times but he refused to give up witchcraft. They then decided to eliminate him and attacked him with heavy stones while he was returning home from the forest on June 16.
In a similar case on Wednesday, Baya Mallick was killed in Dhepaguda village for practising witchcraft and his dismembered body parts and a sword used to kill him were found from Ramaguda forest. Three of his relatives were arrested.