Jamshedpur, Sept. 3: Police today recovered the skeleton of 50-year-old Dhano Tuddu from Rengeburu jungle under Dumaria police station area in Ghatshila sub-division of the district.

Having recovered the skeleton, the police sent it to the MGM Medical College’s mortuary for forensic test.

Tuddu, who used to practise black magic for curing various diseases, was missing from his village Kasibera in Dumaria since August 16 night. He was suspected to have been murdered by a group of persons residing at the neighbouring Sunudih village.

Hopna Tuddu, the victim’s younger brother, said that on August 16 he was sleeping at the courtyard of his house, but in the morning he was found missing.

“Father of three children, Dhano had taken the dinner previous night and had no problem as such. As he did not return by the evening, my niece went over to the Dumaria police station and informed about his disappearance,” said Hopna.

He said that ever since they were searching for his brother and finally they came to know about a human skeleton lying at Rengeburu jungle, about 20km away from Kasibera village. “We identified the skeleton was that of my brother through the teeth and the clothes he was wearing. Two of the teeth of my brother were missing on the lower row,” said Hopna.

According to Hopna, his brother would go to faraway places for practising black magic on request from people to cure diseases.

“People used to get upset with my brother as he failed to cure diseases. But there are people who looked upon my brother with suspicion if there is any untimely death of a person even in the neighbouring villages,” he added.

Hopna said that no death occurred in recent times in his village, but someone died in the neighbouring Sunudih village.

“Although there is no evidence, but we suspect that some way or the other the people of Sunudih are behind the murder. Because Sunudih is just 3km from Rengeburu village, where the skeleton was found,” he said.

Dumaria police station sub-inspector Manoj Kumar Thakur, also the investigating officer in the case, confirmed that it was a case of murder.

Thakur, also the officer in charge of Dumaria police station, said that some villagers of Sunudih were suspected to have executed the murder.

“We have picked up some villagers from Sunudih and interrogating them ,” he said .

In this connection, the police have registered a case of murder and conspiracy against unknown persons.