Elderly couple murdered in Odisha on suspicion of witchcraft

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Kaptipada (Mayurbhanj), Aug 2:

Barely a few days after a woman was stripped and tortured in Rairangpur in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district on suspicion of practicing witchcraft, in another bizarre incident in the same district, a couple was hacked to death in Kaptipada area for similar reasons.

The matter came to light on Friday afternoon when the accused Bira Singh Bari surrendered to the police and confessed to having killed the couple.

Sources at the Sarat police station said the victims Ankura Purty (65) and Mukta Purty (60) of Dhanusahi village under Sarat police limits were hacked to death in the wee hours on Friday when they were sleeping in their house inside the jungle on the outskirts of the village.

Preliminary investigations revealed, Bira Singh Bari had been suspecting Mukta of practicing sorcery and blaming her for the death of his two younger brothers Kedar Bari (12) and Gan Bari (10) and sister Luduri Bari (15) within the span of three years.

IIC of Sarat police station Nabakishore Das said Bira Singh hacked the couple with an axe killing them on the spot.

“He had fled the spot after committing the crime. Later, he came to the police station with the axe and confessed to the crime”, he added.

Das said “We have registered a case under section 302 of the IPC”.

The couple is survived by their two married daughters and only son Narang Purty who is residing at Garsang village near Kupari in Baleswar district.