Woman killed over suspected sorcery

BARIPADA: Superstition raised its ugly head again in the tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district. A man in Kaptipada area killed his sister-in-law on Tuesday night over suspected sorcery.  Police said Pitha Hansda (40) of Katuria-Hudisahi village under Sarat police limits killed his sister-in-law Malha Hansda (42) with a sharp weapon while she was sleeping.OIC of Sarat police station Birendra Senapati said Pitha and Malha’s husband Nunaram were at loggerheads for long. “As Pitha’s son took ill repeatedly, he suspected Malha of practising black magic on him to take revenge,” Senapati said.Police have launched a manhunt to arrest the accused. Following the complaint of Nunaram, police have registered a case.Sorcery killings have become rampant in the tribal-dominated villages of Mayurbhanj. In the last six months, six persons have been killed over sorcery in the district. On July 30, a 45-year-old woman was arrested from Thakurmunda area for allegedly killing a tribal woman suspecting her to be a witch.