Baripada, Sept. 22: Mayurbhanj police detained three persons on charges of murdering a couple in Sarat police limits suspecting them of practising witchcraft.

The incident took place in Kathachua village on Monday night.

The accused persons killed Hadibandhu Purti, 60, and his wife Manduei Purti, 55, with a sharp weapon while they were asleep.

After getting the information, district superintendent of police R. Prakash and other senior police officials visited the spot yesterday.

The accused persons, who are being interrogated by the police, included village head Somnath Purti, 60, Soren Purti, 35, and Ramesh Puri, 33, of Kathachua village.

The cops said the accused were detained based on the complaint of the couple's son.

During interrogation, the police discovered that the accused persons had been planning to murder the couple for a long time as they suspected that the couple practised witchcraft and brought bad luck to the village.

Soren's family members had been suffering from various diseases. He had consulted a sorcerer who reportedly told him that his family members were suffering because of a black magic spell cast by the deceased couple.

Soren hatched the murder plan by conspiring with two other people. One of them one was the village head.

On Monday, they entered the house of the couple late in the night, and attacked them with a sharp weapon.

When the couple screamed in pain, their daughter-in-law Keta Purti came out and saw the accused persons escaping. The couple died before they could be taken to the hospital.

The sub-divisional police officer of Kaptipada, Suresh Chandra Jena, said the murder was committed because of superstitions prevalent in tribal dominated areas.

"A case has been registered under Section 302 of Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Witch-hunting Act, 2013. The accused persons are being interrogated," said Jena.

Section 144 lifted

The Kendrapara district administration on Thursday lifted prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC that was imposed in Pattamundai Township on September 12 following disturbances that had erupted during the immersion of a Ganesh idol in the area.

Tension was brewing in the area as a group had stopped the procession from going ahead in a locality in ward No. 11 of the township.