Kalahandi triple murder main accused arrested

Bhubaneswar: Suspected witchcraft was the motive behind Sunday’s triple murder involving a woman, her child and their neighbour in Kalahandi district, police said on Tuesday by arresting the main accused identified as Mahendra Majhi (32).
The bodies of Raimati Majhi (35), her son Shiba Shakti (2) and their neighbour Mahendra Kumar (60) with deep cut marks on their hands and necks were found on an isolated road in Sankarpala village.
“Mahendra, who is a distant relative of Raimati and stays in the same village, had been suspecting her of practising black magic. Mahendra does not have any child and he had been blaming Raimati’s witchcraft for his wife’s trouble in conceiving. He hatched a plan to eliminate Raimati,” Kalahandi SP Abilash G told TOI.
On Sunday, Mahendra found Raimati with her child alone on the outskirts of the village and attacked her. He later killed the child too. “The elderly man was passing by when he saw the accused attacking the woman and her child. He tried to save the mother-son duo, but in vain. Mahendra killed the old man, who was the lone witness to his crime,” Abilash said.
Police sources said Mahendra came under the scanner of cops during the investigation as some villagers recently found him picking up a quarrel with Raimati. He was on the run after the triple murder and had switched off his mobile phone.“We arrested him from Kalahandi district. He confessed to committing the crime. As of now, he seems to be the lone accused,” another police officer said.
Asked whether anyone else in the village had been suspecting Raimati of practicing black magic, police replied in negative.