Maharashtra woman beaten with hot iron rods, forced to drink urine on ‘black magic’ suspicion

The villagers forced her to drink urine and consume dog excreta and after that they made her parade around with a garlands' slipper around her neck.

Residents of a village in Maharashtra’s Amravati district allegedly thrashed a 77-year-old woman, forced her to drink urine and struck her with hot iron rod over suspicion of black magic practice.

The villagers branded the 77-year-old woman with hot iron rods on her hands and legs. (Representative/Unsplash)

Though the incident took place on December 30, a police complaint was only filed earlier this month, a news agency PTI report said. Additionally, the son and daughter-in-law of the victim approached senior officials on Friday and demanded action in this case.

The elderly woman is a resident of Retyakheda village in Chikhaldara taluka, an official said.

The victim’s son and daughter-in-law also wrote a complaint to the district collector and superintendent of police, alleging that she was alone at home on December 30 when her neighbours caught her over the suspicion that the woman practiced black magic.

Sticks, iron rods, slipper garland

Upon catching her, the villagers allegedly beat the 77-year-old with wooden stick and slapped her. The complainants further alleged that they even branded the victim on her hands and legs with hot iron rods.

The complaint mentions that in addition to the thrashing, the woman was also forced to drink urine and consume dog excreta. After this, the villagers allegedly made her parade around with a slippers garland around her neck.

Both the victim’s son and daughter-in-law had been away for work at the time and only came to know about the incident on January 5, following which they lodged a complaint with the police.

Amravati Superintendent of Police Vishal Anand told PTI that the incident was serious, adding that he spoke to the complainants on Friday.

A police official has been assigned to verify the event at the village, which is located in the interiors of a forest. According, action will be taken, the report mentioned.

Anand said that it would also be verified whether the concerned police station, where the complaint was lodged, tried to hide the incident, and said that action would be taken in case of any lapse.

Last week, a self-proclaimed godman was arrested from Thane for allegedly asking a woman to procure a dead body to ‘cure’ her family from a ‘black magic curse’ and defrauding her of ₹8.87 lakh.

The complainant had fallen prey to the fraud as she had been convinced by the so called ‘Hazrat Baba’ that he can help her husband, who has been ill since 2023.

The fraud had approached her in October 2023, following which he convinced her that someone had cast a black magic curse on her husband and son, offering to perform certain rituals, without which she won’t be able to save them.

After she was duped by the Baba, she filed a complaint at Shanti Nagar police station. Following which, the police team quickly tracked the fraud down and caught him.

A case was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) section 318(4)(cheating) and 316(2)(criminal breach of trust), along with relevant sections of the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013.

(with PTI inputs)