A 70-year-old woman and her 24-year-old daughter were killed within a fortnight by a group of people who accused them of “ witchcraft ”, and their bodies were dumped in a forest after being set on fire in West Singhbhum district in Jharkhand, police said on Tuesday.
He is being treated at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College Hospital. Police are also investigating whether the 24-year-old woman was gang-raped before being killed.
They have detained some suspects, including the elderly woman’s stepson Tribhuvan Birua, according to police. A local villager, Buli Birua, was injured during a clash with the assailants, according to police.
Preliminary investigation has found that the Tribhuvan had a land dispute with the 70-year-old woman. “We are verifying the details of the case after getting information. Some suspects, including the main accused Tribhuvan Birua, have been detained and are being interrogated. The accused and his associates alleged that both women were practising witchcraft.
All the angles are being investigated, including the he possibility of the stepsister being gang-raped before getting killed,” Dilip Sai Majhi, Manjhari PS officer-in-charge, said, adding that a search is underway for both the bodies or their remains which is crucial for forensic evidence .
