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Lohardaga, October 9 (IANS) In a shocking superstition-related incident, three members of a family were brutally murdered on suspicion of practicing witchcraft in Jharkhand’s Lohardaga district.
The murders took place late Wednesday night in Kekrang Bartoli village of Peshrar police station area. The deceased have been identified as Laxman Ngesia (47), his wife Bifni Ngesia (45) and their nine-year-old son Ram Vilas Ngesia.
According to the police, the attackers used sharp-edged weapons, including an ax and a spade, to slit the throats of the victims while they were sleeping. After committing the murder, the attackers reportedly locked the house from outside and fled.
The incident came to light on Thursday morning when the family did not open the door for a long time and the neighbors became suspicious.
He informed the police, after which SDPO Vedant Shankar and Pesharar police station in-charge Virendra Kumar reached the spot with the police team. The bodies have been recovered and sent for post-mortem.
Four family members were present in the house at the time of the incident. The sole survivor, Sukhmania Ngesia, told police that the family was facing harassment from some villagers who accused them of practicing witchcraft.
“A gram panchayat was earlier called on this issue,” he said in his statement.
“On Wednesday night, my father-in-law, mother-in-law and brother-in-law were sleeping when several people came inside and attacked them with an axe. I was locked in my room from outside and could not raise the alarm,” she said.
SDPO Shankar said the exact motive has not been confirmed yet, but superstition and allegations of witchcraft appear to be the primary reasons.
“All possible angles are being investigated. Police teams have been deployed to identify and arrest the culprits. The case will be cracked soon,” he said.
Local sources said rumors of witchcraft had been spreading in the village for months and tensions were rising between the family and some residents.
The brutal murders have spread panic and outrage in Kekrang Bartoli and surrounding villages. Residents have demanded immediate arrest of those responsible and strict action against spreading superstition-related violence.
–IANS
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