Woman bludgeoned to death over witchcraft suspicion in Jharkhand, 2 held

A woman was allegedly bludgeoned to death on suspicion of practising witchcraft in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district, and two persons were arrested in connection with the crime, police said on Thursday (September 17, 2026).The body of 58-year-old Shankarin Surin was recovered on Tuesday (September 15) night from a forest near the Sadaburu-Pasubeda village under the Pandavir panchayat, Chaibasa Mufassil Police Station officer-in-charge Vinod Kumar told PTI.The two accused were arrested on Wednesday (September 16) evening, he said."The arrested persons, who were involved in mobile tower erection work, confessed that they had killed the woman on suspicion of practising witchcraft. She had often cursed both of them, saying they should die by falling from mobile towers," the officer said.According to a complaint lodged with the police, the two accused had come to the woman's house on Tuesday (September 15) evening and took her to the forest and bludgeoned her to death with a stone.The body, after a post-mortem examination at the Sadar Hospital, was handed over to the woman's relatives on Wednesday (September 16). Published - September 17, 2026 11:40 am IST