33 PERSONS ARRESTED FOR KILLING WOMAN IN GANJAM DISTRICT
Odishabarta
Ganjam:Thirty-three persons were arrested in Ganjam district on Thursday for allegedly killing a 50-year-old woman after her husband filed a police complaint stating that they were being “tortured,” police said. The incident took place at Madhurachua village in Kabisuryanagar police station area.
Angry villagers attacked the house of Yudhistir Nayak on Wednesday night after he filed a police complaint against a person for allegedly abusing and attacking him, police said. While Yudhistir and his son could manage to flee the house during the attack, his wife Jhunu could not. When Yudhistir returned home along with police, they found the body of his wife.
The mob also attacked two other villagers, Mahiraju Nayak and Bishnu Nayak, identified as the leaders of the village, for not preventing Yudhistir from filing the police complaint.
Police later rescued them and admitted them to a hospital. Their condition is stated to be stable. Armed forces were deployed at the village and the situation is under control, said Rajani Kant Samal, the sub-divisional police officer of Purushottampur. Thirty-three persons, including 20 women, were arrested, he said.
The villagers had targeted Yudhistir’s family one month ago suspecting them of practising witchcraft. They blamed Yudhistir’s family for the deaths of three persons in a short span of time.
The issue was resolved due to timely intervention, said Prabhat Sahoo, the inspector in-charge of Kabisuryanagar police station. Police, however, said Wednesday night’s attack was not related to the allegation of witchcraft.
