A 48-year-old woman in Chhattisgarh was killed by her husband and three others, after he accused her of practising witchcraft, blamed her for their inability to conceive a child and causing his father to get cancer, police said on Tuesday, adding that the three have been arrested.
The incident occurred in Gatti Mahua village in the tribal-dominated district of Jashpur. The victim was identified as Goidi Bai, 48, wife of Thupan Ram.
The matter came to light on March 6 when Sahlu Ram, 30, the victim’s younger brother, went to Sanna police station and told police that his sister had died in suspicious circumstances in her house. Police started an investigation and found bloodstains on and around the body and visible injury marks on the body. An autopsy confirmed murder and said the death was caused due to severe injuries inflicted by a hard and blunt object.
Police registered a case under Sections 103(1) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Sanna police station, questioned several villagers and family members and then arrested the victim’s husband Thupan Ram, 45, his other wife Phula Bai, 48, and two locals — Sunil Ram, 23, and his wife Suranti Bai, 22.
During interrogation, Phula Bai told police that she had a heated argument with Goidi Bai at their house at 2pm on March 5, which escalated into a physical altercation. Some time later, Thupan Ram allegedly lured Goidi Bai into a hut where Phula Bai and the other two accused were also present. They began consuming hadiya, a locally brewed traditional liquor, and then Sunil Ram accused Goidi Bai of practising witchcraft and held her responsible for his family’s misfortunes, including his inability to have a child and his father suffering from cancer, police said.
The four then killed her, police said. The accused then carried the body back to her house, placed it on a bed and covered it with a blanket, police said.
