Police have cracked a brutal murder case triggered by suspicions of sorcery, arresting 12 villagers in connection with the crime.
The victim, Matia Patika of Kakitara village under Gothalpadar panchayat, went missing on the evening of September 2. The next morning, his blood-stained body was discovered alongside his motorcycle near Banguru Canal.
Following a complaint by his wife, Subarni Patika, Gunupur Police registered a case under Section 103(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and launched an investigation.
According to police, the villagers harboured resentment against Patika, suspecting him of practising black magic and isolating himself from community affairs.
Ambushing him on his way back home, the accused waylaid him near Banguru Canal and bludgeoned him to death with a wooden plank before dumping his body and bike into the stream to erase evidence.
All 12 accused are identified as Bidika Ramchandra (22), Bidika Ramesh (23), Bidika Santosh (21), Mandangi Lingaraj (24), Patika Mojesh (30), Patika Jogendra (20), Nimala Kumaru (21), Bidika Badama (20), Rabi Bidi Ka (25), Bidika Kailash (22), Bidika Ramdas alias Bidika Das (20), and Mandangi Keshab (35), have been arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
Authorities seized the plank used in the crime, 12 mobile phones, and the victim’s motorcycle as key evidence.
