Berhampur: Two persons, including a woman, were arrested on Friday for allegedly hacking to death a 65-year-old man at Panchama village under Ganjam district’s Golanthara police station limits, five days ago, suspecting him of practising witchcraft.The accused were identified as Ghana Pradhan (45) and his sister-in-law Pankaj Pradhan (32), wife of his brother. A sharp-cutting weapon used to murder Ekadasi Nahak, a farmer of the same village, was seized from the accused, police said.Police said the deceased was practising traditional healing methods like witchcraft and people from different areas visited him for treatment and solving their personal problems. Ghana had contacted Ekadasi about a decade ago seeking remedies for the health problems of his family members.Despite his treatment, he lost his wife, mother and grandson. He believed that the deceased was responsible for the death of his five cows.Harbouring strong suspicion, he decided to kill him. On April 12, he along with Pankaj took advantage of an opportunity when Ekadasi was alone at his betel field on the outskirts of the village and hacked him with a sharp weapon. Due to excess bleeding, Ekadasi died on the spot, police said.A murder case was registered in Golanthara police station based on the report of the deceased’s son Sankar Nahak on the same day.
