The Jharkhand Police on Monday detained 10 people for allegedly lynching four people on the suspicion that they practised witchcraft in Gumla district’s Nagar-Siskari village.
The four villagers were identified as Suna Oraon (65), Champa Oraon (79), Fagni Oraine (60) and Piro Oraine (74). A group of 10 masked people beat them up between 1 am and 3 am on Sunday, NDTV reported. The attackers allegedly dragged them out of their homes, locked them up in a house and beat them up. Some reports alleged that their throats were also slit but there is no official confirmation on this.
“Over 10 villagers have been taken into custody since Sunday for interrogation,” Superintendent of Police Anjani Kumar Jha told PTI. “Locals used to visit the deceased, who were suspected of performing witchcraft, with the belief that they could cure diseases.” Jha added that the case was not connected to a land dispute.
The bodies of the four victims have been sent for a postmortem examination.
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