Jharkhand police arrests three for rape-murder of woman

Chaibasa (Jharkhand), Oct 16 (PTI) Three persons were arrested on the charge of the gang rape and murder of a 30-year-old woman after accusing her of practising black magic in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district, a senior police officer said on Thursday.

The victim was the second wife of a 60-year-old resident of a village under Ghagharbeda police station of Mayurbhanj district in Odisha. She was living separately, the officer said.

The incident occurred on October 12 but the FIR was registered on Wednesday on the statement of her husband, who was informed about the incident late, Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Jagannathpur, Raphael Murmu, said.

On Sunday last, the accused trio raped her inside her house and strangulated her to death, the SDPO said.

In the course of the investigation, the police arrested all the accused and recovered the body of the woman on the lead provided by them on Wednesday.

During interrogation, the accused told the police that the one-year-old son of an accused remained unwell and he branded the victim a witch, the police officer said.

On the night of October 12, the child's father along with his two accomplices barged into the victim's house, and committed the crime.

They then carried the body near a dam and covered it with stones, the police officer said.

The body was sent for post-mortem examination. PTI BS NN