BERHAMPUR: A 60-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death and his body set on fire by a group of people over suspicion of practising witchcraft in Kuihuru village within Mohana police limits in Gajapati district.
Police identified the deceased as Kambi Mallik of Kuihuru. The gruesome crime took place on June 3 when Kambi was alone in his house. The incident came to light on Sunday after police recovered the charred remains of the deceased’s body.
Sources said Kambi’s son Mina and daughter Sundari reached their house in the morning on June 4 and found their father absent. Thinking that he might have gone to take a stroll, they became busy in household chores, While cleaning the verandah, Sundari spotted some blood stains. Suspecting foul play, she immediately informed Mina about it.
When Kambi did not return home, the brother-sister duo launched a frantic search but could not trace their father. For the next two days, they contacted their relatives and acquaintances to ascertain the whereabouts of Kambi but to no avail. Subsequently, they came to know that a group of villagers had killed Kambi in front of their house late in the night on June 3.
The villagers, reportedly in inebriated condition, first abused Kambi accusing him of practising sorcery. Though the elderly man pleaded innocence, the culprits did not pay any heed to his pleas and assaulted him. After Kambi died, they took his body to the outskirts of the village and set it on fire.
As most of the villagers kept silent fearing the killers, Mina and Sundari also remained tight-lipped about their father’s murder. However, Mohana police somehow came to know about the incident and reached Kuihuru village on Sunday. Seeing the cops, most of the menfolk fled the village.
After much persuasion, some villagers agreed to take the cops to the spot where Kambi’s body was set on fire. Subsequently, police seized the charred remains of the deceased’s body and sent those for medical examination.
Sukru Mallik, a local, said Kambi was a village quack and used to treat patients for minor illnesses. However, some locals alleged that Kambi used to harass the womenfolk in the village and this could have led to his murder.
Mohana IIC BK Sethy said some of the accused involved in the murder are hiding in the nearby forest. They have been identified and would be nabbed soon. Investigation is underway to ascertain the exact motive behind the crime, he added.