5 members of a household have been accused of witchcraft and brutally murdered by a mob in India, police say

New Delhi — Police have arrested three folks suspected of brutally murdering 5 members of a household who have been accused of witchcraft within the jap Indian state of Bihar. Police mentioned the victims have been hacked to demise and their our bodies then burned by a mob of dozens of residents within the village of Temta on Sunday night time. 

Three girls have been among the many victims, mentioned the police, who recovered the charred stays of the household on Monday night. Residents reportedly suspected the household of inflicting an area boy’s deadly sickness.

A photograph shared by the Bihar Police in jap India on July 8, 2025, exhibits officers standing with three males who have been arrested and accused of being a part of a mob that brutally murdered 5 members of a household within the village of Temta who had been accused of witchcraft.

Bihar Police/X

Mandal confirmed that the victims had been accused of witchcraft and recognized them as Babu Lal Oraon, 50, alongside along with his 70-year-old mom Kanto Devi and his spouse and two grownup kids.

The incident occurred about 10 days after a baby died within the village as a result of an sickness. On Sunday night time, the kid’s brother additionally fell sick, and the villagers suspected witchcraft because the trigger, triggering the assault on Oraon’s household, NDTV reported, quoting police.

The Bihar Police fashioned a devoted workforce to research the murders. 

Sahrawat famous that many residents of the village have been suspected of involvement within the assault, and lots of residents weren’t serving to police to establish the attackers.

Circumstances of assaults on folks accused of witchcraft aren’t unusual in India and different south Asian international locations. Governments and activists have struggled to finish the assaults, that are based mostly on centuries-old superstitions.

Perception in witchcraft can also be widespread in some rural communities in West Africa and elsewhere on the continent. Earlier this month, six folks accused of witchcraft have been burned alive, stoned or crushed to demise by a militia in Burundi.

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