Couple accused of black magic, attacked by mob

The residents of Turakapalem village of Machavaram mandal in Guntur district beat up a couple — Shaik Talluri Babu and his wife Allabi — and tried to burn them alive after dousing them with kerosene early on Friday. The villagers suspected that the couple practised black magic and was responsible for death of children in the village. The villagers nabbed Talluri Babu and Allabi while they were praying at a local cemetery.

Talluri Babu and Allabi were residents of Turakapalem. The death of a child named Madina three days ago, gave rise to suspicion that the child was killed due to witchcraft performed by the couple. Villagers decided to watch their movements and gathered on the outskirts of the village on Thursday night.

Unaware of the presence of the villagers, the couple went to the burial ground and kept bloodstained cooked rice on the resting place of the kid Madina who was buried there three days ago. The enraged villagers then confronted them. When the couple tried to flee, the villagers beat them up severely.

The villagers hit them on the face with logs and broke Talluri Babu and Allabi’s teeth and then doused them with kerosene. Police, however, rescued the couple, held discussions with the people for five hours and convinced them to let them take the couple to a hospital.

The villagers alleged that eight children had died due to black magic. Piduguralla circle inspector Battula Srinivasa Rao and police teams from Rajupalem, Bellamkonda, Machavaram police stations rushed to Turakapalem village and pacified the angry villagers. They tried to convince them that this was only a superstition and nothing could happen with black magic. They promised to conduct an investigation into the death of children.