Patna: A woman in her mid-fifties returning to her in-laws' place after giving a rakhi for her brother was lynched in Rohtas district, around 165km southwest of Patna, on Wednesday, on suspicion that she was practising witchcraft.

A group of men attacked Kamla Devi (55) with bamboo sticks and iron rods around 1pm at Ugara Bigha village under the jurisdiction of Dalmianagar police station when she was returning to her house at Banauli village after giving a rakhi for her brother Nandji Yadav at Gangoli village.

Nandji's wife Antara Devi told the police that Kamla received serious injuries to her head, and her attackers left the scene only after they ensured Kamla had died owing to excess blood loss.

Dalmianagar police station house officer (SHO) Sudhir Kumar said the mob killed Kamla because they suspected her of being involved in witchcraft.

"Raids are underway to nab the culprits," the SHO said, adding that one Meera Kuer has been accused of inciting the mob that killed Kamla.

Some of the attackers were identified as Ajay Singh, Vashishtha Singh, Suresh Singh and Bipin Singh, all residents of Gangoli village.

Antara, in an FIR lodged with the Dalmianagar police station, said she had gone to see Kamla off to the outskirts of the village on Wednesday.

"She had come to meet us two days ago. She decided to return to her in-laws' house on Tuesday. She gave a rakhi to her brother before leaving," Antara told the police.

SHO Sudhir said an FIR under sections 302 (murder), 120 B (conspiracy) and 34 (common intent) of the IPC has been registered on Antara's statement.

Kamla's body was handed over to the family after post mortem.

The incident sent shockwaves among local residents. "It is very unfortunate, and shows how people are being killed on one pretext or the other," said Awadhesh Kumar, a lawyer at the Dehri sub-divisional court.

Kamla's lynching comes days after a woman in Bhojour was thrashed, disrobed and

paraded through a market place by a mob that accused her of having a hand in the death of a 16-year-old boy whose body had been found on the railway tracks.