Witchcraft Whiff As Couple Goes Missing In Odisha Village

Baripada: The family of a missing couple at a village in Mayurbhanj district has alleged they were murdered over suspected witchcraft.

The couple was identified as Sitaram Singh and his wife Leth, residents of Sitaram Sahi near Kaptipada.

Sources said Sitaram and Leth had gone to nearby Chhatramba village on Sunday to watch a football tournament. However, they did not return home till late night. Their family members then launched a frantic search to trace them.

“As my parents did not return home, we launched a search and found blood stains, slippers and glass bangles in the forest near our house. Earlier, they were attacked and thrashed by some people on suspicion of practicing sorcery. They held a grudge against my parents and now killed them,” alleged Kuni Singh, the couple’s daughter.

Later, the family lodged a complaint at Kaptipada police station. Following this, a police team along with sniffer dogs went to the spot for an investigation.

The couple remained untraceable till reports last came in.

Numerous incidents of torture being meted out to men and women over suspicion of practicing witchcraft have come to the fore in the past. Amid prevalent superstitions, while some had to undergo brutal harassment and torture by villagers, others were ostracised from their villages after being forced to consume human excreta.