Tripura police arrest eight people for killing woman over suspicion of witchcraft

Tripura Police on April 6 late night arrested eight persons for burying her body after brutally killing her on the suspicion of being a witch and for allegedly performing witchcraft at Behalabari under Khowai district.

Speaking with India Today NE exclusively, Khowai Additional Superintendent of Police Anirban Das said that the incident took place on Thursday late evening in Lengtibari a rural hamlet situated in Behalabari under Khowai district.

“We had information that a group of people had kidnapped a woman and probably killed her. Based on that information we collected inputs and started searching for the woman but were unable to recover her. Based on sources we have detained some youths of the village and during preliminary interrogation, they revealed that they have killed the woman. In the presence of the executive magistrate we have recovered the body which was buried in an abandoned toil”, the official said.

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He further said that the deceased identified as Kaushalya Ghatual (45) was allegedly murdered on the suspicion of witch and purportedly performing witchcraft.

“On Thursday late night, we managed to nab all the eight accused. The accused confessed to kidnapping and murdering the woman on the suspicion of witchcraft. 

Based on the confession of the accused, we have recovered the body which was buried inside an abandoned toilet in Lengtibari. Around ten o'clock at night. Police recovered the dead body and brought it to the mortuary of the district hospital”, the cop said.

The accused persons identified as Charitra Kanda (40), Mithun Kanda (18), Akash Kanda (18), Kajal Kanda (65), Sanjit Kanda (20), Bimal Kanda (19), Ajit Kand (25) and Chandan Tanti (35). 

“We have registered a case against all of them and started investigating the matter”, the police added.