BARIPADA: A 56-year-old widow was reportedly axed to death over suspicion of practising sorcery in Bisoi area of Mayurbhanj district on Tuesday.
The deceased was identified as Shakri Hembram of Jadia village within Bisoi police limits. The accused, Dula Hembram (25) of the same village, surrendered before police after committing the crime.
IIC of Bisoi police station Sarat Kumar Das said the accused and the deceased were neighbours. Preliminary investigation revealed that around 18 months back, the accused’s father Matal Hembram died under mysterious circumstances despite being healthy. Dula suspected that black magic was the reason behind his father’s death.
The IIC said the accused’s four-year-old son died mysteriously two months back. This made Dula believe that Shakri was practising sorcery to bring harm to his family. He then decided to eliminate the widow.
On the day, Shakri was sitting on the veranda of her house when the accused arrived on the spot with an axe. Without any provocation, Dula hit her multiple times with the weapon. The woman suffered grievous injuries and died instantly.
Her daughter-in-law, who was working in the backyard of their house, rushed to the spot and found Shakri lying dead in a pool of blood. Shakri’s son Karu Hembram, a daily wager, was away for some work when the incident took place.
After committing the crime, Dula went to the police station with the weapon of offence and surrendered himself. Basing on the complaint of the deceased’s son, police registered a case and arrested the accused. The woman’s body was seized and sent to the hospital for postmortem. The accused will be produced in court after completion of necessary formalities, the IIC added.