Youth beheaded over sorcery in Odisha’s Ganjam

Berhampur: In a gruesome incident, a youth was beheaded over suspected sorcery. The headless body was found five days after the incident from a dense forest in Ganjam district.

The deceased was identified as Niranjan Malik of Nimapali village under Digapahandi police limits.

Niranjan was missing since last Friday on Ganesh Chaturthi. His headless body was found from forest at Betajhari village, near NImapali village five days after his murder.

Police recovered his head, clothes, shoes and stone that was used to kill him.

According to reports, Niranjan had threatened his rivals of the village to eliminate them from life by practicing sorcery. Meanwhile, several villagers were affected by an unknown fever in the village. A blueprint was prepared by his opponents to kill him suspecting him to practice black magic against innocent people in the village.

As per their plan, few villagers had invited Niranjan on Ganesh puja to visit the pandals and decorations. On the way in auto, they fastened his hands and legs offering him alcohol. They smashed his head and testicle with stone in a forest in Betajhari village. In order to hide his true identity, they beheaded him and fled the spot after throwing the head in a water course.

The headless body was spotted by few locals of Betajhari village on Tuesday morning in the forest.