Bhubaneswar: In a shocking incident, a 35-year-old man was allegedly killed and mutilated by a group of villagers on suspicion of practising witchcraft at Malasapadar village under Mohana police station limits in Gajapati district.
The incident took place late Saturday night. According to police, the accused throttled the man to death, severed his private parts, and dumped his body in the nearby Harabhangi Dam. The body was recovered from the reservoir on Sunday morning.
“We have detained 14 villagers for interrogation,” said Suresh Chandra Tripathy, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of G. Udayagiri.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the villagers suspected the victim of practising black magic, which they believed led to the death of a middle-aged woman about a fortnight ago.
Fearing reprisal, the man had taken shelter at his father-in-law’s residence in Ganjam district along with his family. He had requested his sister-in-law to look after his cattle and goats in the village.
However, he returned to Malasapadar on Saturday to retrieve the animals, during which he was reportedly abducted and killed. The body has been sent for post-mortem.
Further investigation is underway.
