Men forced to eat human excreta over practising witchcraft in Odisha; 29 arrested

Berhampur: As many as 29 persons of Gopapur village under Khallikote police station in Odisha’s Ganjam district were arrested for their alleged involvement in torture of six persons over suspicion of witchcraft, informed Ganjam SP Brijesh Kumar Rai last night.

The victims have been identified as Jogi Das, Sania Nahak, Jogendra Nahak, Rama Nahak, Hari Nahak and Juria Nahak of the village.

Briefing media, Ganjam SP said, “Teeth of each victim were uprooted and they were forced to eat human excreta on the night of September 30. The victims were all men in their late 50s and 60s.”

“On being informed, police rescued the victims from the villagers. The victims are now undergoing treatment at MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur,” he added.

According to reports, tensions gripped Gopapur two weeks ago after some villagers suddenly fell sick and three of them died. The villagers suspected some sorcery practitioners behind the ailments and deaths.

Later, the irate villagers called up a sorcerer to identify the alleged witchcraft practitioners. Based on details given by the sorcerer, the villagers tortured the victims.

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