Rairangpur: An elderly woman was allegedly stoned to death by unidentified miscreants in Bonkati village under the Rairangpur (Rural) police station limits of Mayurbhanj district, triggering panic in the area.
According to the complaint lodged by family members, the incident took place during the intervening night when the elderly woman, Purnima Singh, wife of late Sabana Singh, along with other family members, had gone to sleep in separate rooms of their house. It is alleged that unknown persons locked the houses from outside, forcibly entered the room where Purnima was sleeping, attacked her with stones, and fled the spot.
The crime came to light when family members called out to Purnima in the morning and managed to open the door. They found her lying on the floor in a pool of blood. She was declared dead at the spot.
Following the incident, the family lodged a written complaint at the Rairangpur (Rural) police station. Acting on the complaint, police officials, along with a scientific team from Baripada, reached the village and carried out an on-spot investigation. The body was sent for postmortem examination at Rairangpur and later handed over to the family members.
Though the exact motive behind the murder is yet to be ascertained, police suspect that the killing may be linked to a land dispute or issues related to witchcraft practices.
Rairangpur (Rural) police station in-charge Babita Rani Puhan said a case has been registered under Case No. 30/26 and further investigation is underway to identify and apprehend those involved in the crime.
