RAIPUR: A man murdered his neighbour over the suspicion black magic and superstition in Kabeerdham district of Chhattisgarh on Sunday night.
The wife and 16-year-old daughter of the deceased were also attacked when they tried to intervene and they are stated to be critical now.
The incident took place on the night of Hareli festival at Kauwanar village.
Mangal Baiga, 55, barged into the house of his neighbour Pardeshi Baiga, 50. Accusing him of performing black magic on his family, he attacked Pardeshi with an indigenous axe.
He gave no time to Pardeshi to escape and hacked him to death within minutes. When the family members tried to intervene and save him, they too faced the attack and sustained severe injuries.
Accused Baiga escaped the spot when neighbours started rushing towards the screams of the woman and the daughter.
The locals informed the police and rushed the wounded to Pandaria hospital.
While the body was seized, a search was launched in the nearby area and the accused was nabbed from the fields where he was hiding.
Sources said that Pardeshi had earlier reported to police about everyday threats of dire consequences by Baiga but apparently no action was taken due to lack of evidence. It is also suspected that the duo was involved in the land dispute and Baiga had accused Pardeshi of resorting to black magic to win over the dispute, that lead to murder.
