Elderly Man Killed Over Sorcery Suspicion in Sundergarh, Four Arrested

Sundergarh: Four persons were arrested for allegedly killing an elderly man on suspicion of practicing sorcery in Kandakhal village under Sanpatrapali Panchayat in Sundergarh district on Tuesday.

The deceased has been identified as Mahadev Pradhan.

According to police, the accused, all from the same village, allegedly attacked Pradhan late on Tuesday night and beat him to death on the spot over suspected witchcraft practices.

Locals alerted the police soon after the incident, following which a team rushed to the village and initiated an investigation. The accused were later produced in court.

Sundergarh SDPO Nirmal Kumar Mohapatra said the preliminary investigation indicates that the हत्या was triggered by suspicion of sorcery. He added that the victim’s wife was also injured in the attack and is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital, where her condition is reported to be stable.

Police registered a case at Sadar Police Station and launched a detailed probe. A forensic team visited the scene and collected evidence, while the body was sent for post-mortem to Sanpatrapali PHC.

Further investigation into the incident is underway.