Woman murdered on suspicion of witchcraft in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum
Chaibasa (PTI): A 59-year-old woman was allegedly murdered over suspicion of practising witchcraft in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district, police said on Saturday.
Sonua Police Station Officer-in-Charge, Shashi Bala Bhengra, told PTI that the decomposed body of 59-year-old Jamuna Purty was found on Friday near a culvert at Balijuri village.
"Sanatan Purty, the eldest son of the victim who works in Chennai and had returned after getting information about his mother missing from home, has alleged that his mother was murdered by a few villagers on accusation of practising witchcraft. He has alleged that whenever someone died in the village, her mother was accused of practising witchcraft on the deceased," the police officer said.
Bhengra said that on Tuesday, the daughter-in-law of the victim, Sukhmati Purty, had lodged an FIR in the police station against unidentified persons for abducting her mother-in-law.
"The victim used to stay in Balijuri village with her youngest son, Shiv Kumar Purty, eldest daughter-in-law Sukhmati Purty and daughter Suryamani Kunkal. As per the FIR, the victim went missing from her house on Sunday night. The family searched for her but could not find her and lodged an FIR on Tuesday. They also informed the deceased's eldest son, Sanatan Purty, and he returned home from Chennai on Thursday. The body was recovered on Friday," the police officer said.
"Seeing the decomposed body, it appears that she was murdered with sharp weapons nearly five days back. However, things will be clear after the post-mortem report," said Bhengra.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka police constable arrested for forging passport verification records
Mangaluru: A police constable attached to the Vitla Police Station has been arrested for allegedly forging documents and manipulating passport verification records to obtain a clearance certificate from the authorities.
Police said on Tuesday that a person identified as Shakti Das, who claimed to be residing within the jurisdiction of the Vitla Police Station, first applied for a passport in February 2025.
During police verification, it was found that the address mentioned in the application did not match official records, following which the application was not recommended.
In June 2025, Shakti Das reportedly submitted a second passport application. Police alleged that Pradeep, a staff member at the Vitla Police Station, processed the reapplication without informing the concerned beat constable, Sabu Mirji, who was responsible for verifying the applicant’s address.
Pradeep allegedly prepared a verification report in the name of the beat constable, forged his signature, secured approval from senior officers, and forwarded the report. He is also accused of destroying verification-related documents to conceal the irregularities.
As per the report, the matter came to light on December 19 during a scrutiny of records. Police said the acts amounted to criminal breach of trust, as a crucial identity document issued by the Central government was fraudulently obtained.
Police further said that Shakti Das claims to hail from West Bengal, and his address is currently being verified.
Based on the findings, Vitla Police have registered a case against Pradeep and passport holder Shakti Das under Sections 336, 337, 316(5), and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
Pradeep has been arrested and produced before a court, which remanded him to judicial custody. Further investigation is underway, police said.
