Incident in Gajapati District
Bhubaneswar – A man posing as a doctor was allegedly beaten to death by villagers in Kusumpur under Mohana police limits, Odisha’s Gajapati district, on July 28, and buried in a nearby forest on suspicion of practising witchcraft. The deceased, identified as Karunakar Dalai, was reportedly working as a quack. The case came to light after his sister-in-law, Sabita, lodged a police complaint on Wednesday.
Triggered by Child’s Death
According to Gajapati SP Jatindra Kumar Panda, tensions escalated after Karunakar prescribed herbal-like medicines to a 12-year-old dog-bite victim about 15–20 days earlier. The child died a few days later, and villagers linked the death, along with a few other recent fatalities, to his alleged malpractice. A group of 10–12 villagers reportedly assaulted him during a meeting at the local anganwadi centre, eventually killing and burying him in the jungle.
Body Recovered, Arrests Made
Police recovered Karunakar’s body on Thursday and detained eight suspects for questioning. Authorities revealed that although villagers were aware of the killing, they concealed it until the complaint was filed.
Second Such Killing in the Area
This marks the second witchcraft-related killing in the Mohana area in recent days. In a separate incident, a 35-year-old man in Malasapadar village was strangled, mutilated, and his body dumped in Harabhangi Dam by villagers suspecting him of witchcraft. Police have arrested several accused in that case as well.
Ask ChatGPT
