Purnia (Bihar) [India], July 7 (ANI): Lalit Kumar, whose father, mother, brother, sister-in-law, and grandmother were allegedly burnt alive by villagers over accusations of witchcraft, said he was in disbelief upon learning of the horrific incident.
Speaking to ANI, Lalit recounted receiving a late-night phone call from his younger brother, Sonu, who told him the family was under attack. Unable to return home that night, Lalit arrived the next morning, only to find his family gone.
“My brother called me and told me that the family members were being burnt and asked me where I was. I could not come from there. When I came in the morning, I came to know and I could not believe that it was true,” Lalit said.
He added that the victims included his father, mother, brother, sister-in-law, and grandmother, and alleged that the entire village participated in setting them on fire.
According to Pankaj Kumar Sharma, SDPO Sadar Purnia, the police received a distress call around 5 am from Sonu, 16, reporting that his family members had been killed by villagers from the Oraon community over accusations of practicing black magic.
“We received information at 5 am that in a village under Mufassil Police Station area, in the name of black magic and witchcraft, members of the Oraon community killed five members of his family. Police reached there and recovered all five charred bodies,” Sharma said.
The police official confirmed that three people have been arrested so far, while others remain unidentified.
“Three people have been arrested, others are unidentified, and an investigation is being done. People of the entire village were involved,” he noted.
Authorities have launched a thorough investigation into the case, which has shocked the region and renewed concerns over superstitions and mob violence in rural areas. (ANI)
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