2 women beaten to death for practising witchcraft

Two women were beaten to death by unidentified persons for allegedly practising witchcraft in Badepur village under Hussainabad police station of Palamau district, the police said today.

A group of people had entered the houses of the victims identified as Basanti Devi (40) and Manua Devi (36) and dragged them out before beating to death late last night, the police said.

Both women died on the spot, they said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Mahato said the exact cause behind the incident was being investigated, but did not rule out the possibility of black magic being the reason.

An FIR has been registered against unidentified persons and a hunt was onto apprehend the culprits, he added.