An elderly man was beaten to death by villagers, who suspected him of practising witchcraft at Titiguda village under Kashipur block in Rayagada district. He was identified as Dai Majhi.
Though his two sons were tied by the attackers they somehow managed to escape and saved their lives.
The incident occurred while Dai, along with his wife and two sons, was asleep at his home.
Meanwhile, a mob barged into their house and assaulted the whole family.
Dai was severely beaten by the villagers leading to his death while his two sons managed to escape from the clutches of the villagers. The siblings, who sustained critical injuries, are currently admitted to the Tikiri Hospital.
On being informed, local police rushed to the village and brought the situation under control. But palpable tension prevailed in the village following the incident.
The body was seized and sent for postmortem.
SDPO Dibyajyoti Das said, “We have detained a person. During interrogation, he confessed to the crime. Further investigation is on.”