Man kills aged woman over black magic claims

AFTER STRANGLING AND STABBING HER, HE WENT ABOUT THE VILLAGE SHOUTING THE 75YEAROLD WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS MOTHER’ DEATH

A 75-year-old woman was strangled to death and then stabbed repeatedly by a villager, who went to town boasting about the act because he believed her witchcraft had led to his mother’s death.

Raj Kishori was babysitting her grandson at home in Bhatolia village of Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district late on Sunday evening when Tarkeshwar Rana (45), a daily wager, attacked her.

Kishori’s son and daughterin-law were not at home when the incident took place, police said.

After committing the crime, Rana went about the village claiming that he had killed the woman as it was because of Kishori’s black magic that he lost his septuagenarian mother last Saturday. He even alleged Kishori’s black magic had caused his children to become unwell, police said.

Villagers, however, said that Rana’s mother was not keeping well for the past several days and his younger brother had taken her along with him to Bengaluru for medical treatment.

They also said that Rana was a drunkard and used to beat his wife and children in inebriated state, following which they left home.

Station house officer of the Minapur police station Sona Prasad Singh said Rana was absconding.

The body, with multiple stab injuries was sent for post-mortem.

Crime on women due to superstitious beliefs is not new to Bihar. At least 20 incidents of women being assaulted have been reported in the past one year from Muzaffarpur, 70 km north of Patna.