Bhubaneswar: In yet another incident of mob lynching, a 30-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death by villagers on suspicion of practising sorcery, and his body was later burnt in a forest to destroy evidence.
The horrific crime took place at Talamunduli village under Maniabandha police station in Cuttack. The deceased has been identified as Tikam Behera (30), son of Sweta Behera.
According to police sources, the incident took place on May 10 during Chandan Yatra celebration but it came to the light after the victim’s father filed a complaint with Maniabandha police.
In his complaint, the victim’s father alleged that some villagers suspected Tikam of practising sorcery, which they believed was causing various problems and illnesses in several families in the village. On the fateful, around 11 pm, villagers allegedly dragged Tikam from his house. They held a village meeting, severely beat him, and killed him. To conceal the crime, the accused took his body deep into the forest and set it on fire.
Acting on the complaint, Manibandh police launched a massive search operation and arrested 25 persons so far. Several other accused are still absconding, and the village has reportedly become almost deserted as most suspects have fled.
The arrested persons include Prakash Behera, Bibhuti Behera, Keshab Behera, Manas Nayak, Bishnu Behera, Antara Swain, Sujit Behera, Lochan Behera, Ranjit Behera, Bhagirathi Dehuri, Dhani Swain, Sarat Behera, Ullas Nayak, Nira Dehuri, Jagabandhu Behera, Bichi Behera, Santosh Behera, Anil Behera, Gautam Dehuri, Laxmidhar Behera, Udaynath Behera, Mathura Behera, Maya Behera, Jayakrishna Dehuri, and Alok Dehuri.
During investigation, police have recovered the victim’s bones and other evidence from the spot. However, the breakthrough in the case came after the arrest of the first accused, Alok Dehuri (30), who reportedly revealed the full details of the murder.
Cuttack (Rural) SP Vinit Agrawal addressed a press conference at Tigiria police station sharing details of the case. He informed that three separate police teams were formed under the leadership of Athagarh SDPO Biswajit Mohanty to investigate the case. A scientific team thoroughly examined the crime scene, and physical samples along with other incriminating materials were collected for forensic examination.
On Tuesday morning, women from the families of the arrested accused reached Manibandh police station hoping to meet them. However, police informed them that the accused were in Badamba and turned them away, leading to tension in the area.
The case has sent shockwaves across the region, with police continuing further investigation.
