Ludhiana: ‘Sorcery suspicion’ triggered December 19 murder, 2 arrested

The key accused believed that the deceased was behind his father’s recent death; an FIR under Sections 103 and 3 (5) of the BNS has been registered at the Focal Point police station.

The Focal Point police have solved a blind murder case with the arrest of two labourers. According to the police, the victim was a sorcerer and one of the accused suspected him of performing witchcraft on his father that lead to his death. To avenge the death of his father, the accused hatched a conspiracy and eliminated the sorcerer with the help of his aide, the police said.

The accused in police custody in Ludhiana on Wednesday. (HT photo)

The accused — Rahul Kumar and Mohammad Basir of Vishakha Colony of Dhandhari Khurd — confessed their crime during interrogation, the police said. While Rahul belongs to Bhojpur in Bihar, his aide Mohammad Basir is from Badaun of Uttar Pradesh.

Victim Brijesh Saho, 31, who hailed from Tikamgarh of Madhya Pradesh, had been living here in Dhandhari Khurd. He used to practice sorcery and also worked as a labourer in a factory.

Inspector Amandeep Singh Brar, station house officer (SHO) at the Focal Point police station, said an unidentified body was found from a vacant plot on December 20 following which an FIR was registered. On December 23, the police had identified the victim as Brijesh Sahu.

It was found that the deceased was last seen with Rahul Kumar and his aide Mohammad Basir. The police rounded them up. During questioning, they confessed their crime.

According to the SHO, Rahul informed that he used to help Brijesh Sahu in sorcery but his father Meghnath had been against it. Meghnath had been deterring him from roaming around with Brijesh and he followed. One day Brijesh turned up in his absence at his house and allegedly thrashed his father before performing some witchcraft.

The SHO further said, “Rahul Kumar informed that his father fell ill so the family sent him to Bihar for treatment where he died on November 6. Before his death, his father told him that Brijesh had thrashed him and performed some witchcraft on him. Rahul returned to Ludhiana on December 17.”

“Further, Rahul added that Brijesh enquired about the death of his father over phone and brazenly stated that he would eat chicken tonight. It instigated him and he hatched a conspiracy to kill Brijesh. On December 19, he along with Mohammad Basir found Brijesh near a liquor vend. He was already drunk. They bought a liquor bottle and took him to a vacant plot. After consuming liquor, they overpowered Brijesh and slit his throat. They dumped the body in the plot and escaped,” he added.

The inspector further added that an FIR under Sections 103 and 3 (5) of the BNS has been registered against the accused at the Focal Point police station.