Elderly Woman Beheaded Over Suspicion Of Witchcraft; Decapitated Body Found

A 62-year-old woman in the Indian state of Odisha was allegedly beheaded following accusations that she had been practicing witchcraft, police said Sunday.

The elderly woman, identified as Jamuna Hansdah, was found decapitated Sunday near her home village of Balibhol in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district Sunday, newspaper the Times of India reported, citing Karanjia sub-divisional police officer Sudarshan Gangoi. He added that the woman's head is yet to be recovered.

According to the victim's family, Hansdah — who was last seen alive Saturday evening — had been targeted after the recent death of a person in the village, Gangoi said.

Two youths have been detained for questioning in connection to Hansdah's death.

A murder case has been registered following the discovery of Hansdah's body, and further investigation is underway, Gangoi said.

A similar incident occurred last month in Odisha when a father and his son were beaten to death by their fellow villagers after they were suspected of practicing witchcraft.

Luka Dalabehera and his son Anak Dalabehera, aged 55 and 22, respectively, were allegedly called out from their home in the tribal-dominated village of Muthaguda on June 12 by a few of their fellow villagers before being assaulted in a forest, according to police.

The villagers suspected that the father and son's alleged witchcraft had caused the death of a child a month prior, police said.

The older Dalabehera died in the forest, while the badly injured son was able to escape from the scene and return home, where he later died due to his injuries.

Police learned of the deaths after a village official reported the incident to authorities in the village of Adaba. Several villagers had been detained over their alleged involvement in Luka and Anak's deaths.

"My father and brother were killed on baseless suspicions of sorcery. The police should arrest the culprits immediately and punish them," Luka Dalabehera's daughter, Ludhia, was quoted as saying.