Tripura Police have arrested three persons for allegedly killing a woman on suspicion of practising witchcraft in a remote village under Sidhai police station limits in West Tripura district, officials said on Friday.
The arrests were made on Thursday night after an intensive search operation. Police have withheld the identities of the accused to ensure an impartial investigation. The trio was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in West Tripura with a request for police remand.
“Preliminary investigation suggests that the arrested individuals are the prime accused who orchestrated the brutal killing of the woman. We are also probing the possible involvement of other villagers, which can be established once we obtain confessions or further evidence,” a police officer said.
According to the police, the accused believed that the victim, identified as Nanda Rani Debbarma, had cast an evil spell on their families, causing prolonged illness among their relatives. Acting on the advice of a local sorcerer, they allegedly accused Debbarma of witchcraft, assaulted her, and later hanged her to death on October 26.
The incident remained unreported for several days as the victim’s husband and son were allegedly threatened with social boycott if they informed the police. The matter came to light after Debbarma’s younger sister, Takshati Debbarma, a resident of a neighbouring village, filed a complaint at Sidhai police station on October 28.
Following the complaint, police, accompanied by a forensic team, exhumed the body for post-mortem examination and registered an FIR against five individuals. The three accused were later apprehended from a forested area near the village, while efforts are on to trace the remaining suspects.
Security has been tightened in Abhicharan village, with additional police and Tripura State Rifles personnel deployed to prevent any escalation of tension, officials added.
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