Bhubaneswar: The crime branch (CB) on Saturday cracked a three-year-old suspected witch-hunting murder case and arrested two persons while detaining a juvenile. The breakthrough came after DNA test confirmed the identity of an unidentified body.The accused allegedly killed Juburaj Singh (75) of Sukhua Sahi, who was suspected of practising witchcraft. Singh had been missing since Oct 2023. His body was found by local police in Nov 2023, and the CB took over the probe in Feb 2024.CB sleuths said two slippers of different sizes were recovered from the spot where the body was found, a clue that later helped crack the case. “It was a blind case with no suspect and no identification of body. While investigating, we had come across several missing cases. While dealing with this case, we found the body of another person from Similia but DNA profile didn’t match. Then, we found a clue that Juburaj used to wear slippers of two different sizes. We took DNA sample from his son, which matched to confirm that it was the body of Juburaj,” ADG, crime branch, Vinaytosh Mishra told TOI.The accused were identified as Sangauramohan Singh (38) alias Bida and Narahari Singh (36) alias Bapi, both residents of Banasahi, along with a juvenile. Police said they killed Singh and disposed of the body in an abandoned well.The case dates back to when Udala police in Mayurbhanj recovered a decomposed body of an unidentified male from an abandoned well in a secluded cashew forest. The body, stuffed in a bag, had remained in water for a long period, making identification difficult.CB officials said they carried out sustained field investigation backed by scientific methods, prepared a list of missing persons and conducted DNA profiling using blood samples from families. Investigators found Singh had been invited to Banasahi (Dugudha) to perform an exorcism ritual. He attended a feast but did not return. The probe indicated villagers suspected him of practising witchcraft and blamed him for the death of a child linked to one of the accused. The arrested accused were produced in a court in Udala on Saturday. The juvenile was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, Baripada.
