Four elderly members of three different families were brutally murdered by unidentified persons in Siskari area here in the wee hours of Sunday allegedly over their involvement in witchcraft.
"Prima facie, it appears the victims were involved in witchcraft. Crime seems to have happened because of superstitious beliefs. Four persons have been killed," Superintendent of Police Anjani Kumar Jha told ANI.
The deceased have been identified as Suna Uraav (65), Fagin Devi (62), Chapa Bhagat (62) and his wife Peeri Devi (60).
According to the locals, 10-12 people came with their faces covered between 1 and 3 am, dragged the victims out of their houses and killed them.
The police are already on the spot and investigation is on.
"People need to be wary of these issues. The police are already running campaigns on block and panchayat levels to spread awareness about these issues. We hope to see positive results in the coming time," Jha said.