Two couples and a woman were allegedly beaten to death on suspicion of practising witchcraft in a village in Chhattisgarh’s tribal-dominated Sukma district on Sunday, police said.

Five persons, all from the same village, have been detained concerning the murder and are being interrogated, they said.

The incident took place in Ektal village under Konta police station limits and the victims were identified as Mausam Kanna (34), his wife Mausam Biri, Mausam Buchcha (34), his wife Mausam Arjo (32), and another woman Karka Lachhi (43), a police official here said.

After being alerted, senior officials rushed to the spot, he said.

The accused who have been detained are Savlam Rajesh (21), Savlam Hidma, Karam Satyam (35), Kunjam Mukesh (28) and Podiam Enka, he said.

Further investigation into the incident is underway, he added.

In a similar incident on Thursday (September 12), four members of a family, including an infant boy, were allegedly killed on the suspicion that a member of their family practised black magic in a village in the state's Balodabazar-Bhatapara district.

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