An Indian mother and her infant were set on fire by villagers after being accused of practicing black magic, which was blamed for villagers falling ill and livestock dying. Police have arrested four suspects.
Foreign news agencies reported on 20 Feb 2026 that police in Jharkhand state, eastern India, arrested four suspects linked to the killing of Jyoti Sinku and her 10-month-old son earlier this week, following accusations that the pair practiced black magic.
The deceased woman's husband was also attacked, sustaining severe burn injuries, and is currently hospitalized.
Police said they are actively pursuing others involved, while the four suspects have been charged with murder and conspiracy and have been remanded in custody.
Data from the National Crime Records Bureau indicates that between 2000 and 2016, over 2,500 people in India were murdered due to suspicions of practicing witchcraft or black magic, with most victims being women.
The murder of Jyoti and her son on Tuesday, 17 Feb, occurred just months after five members of a family in neighboring Bihar state were brutally killed and burned alive over similar accusations of practicing black magic.
Such cases often occur in areas with marginalized ethnic communities, where strong beliefs in witchcraft prevail and inadequate public healthcare forces villagers to rely on unlicensed healers for medical treatment.
This murder in Jharkhand took place in the remote ethnic community village of Gudsai, which consists of about 50 mud houses located roughly 25 km from Ranchi, the state capital.
The incident appears to have been triggered by earlier events, including rumors of sudden livestock deaths and the illness and death of a local man named Pustun Birua.
Pustun Birua's wife, Jano Birua, said she consulted an unlicensed healer—a common practice in the village due to lack of doctors—after her husband became anxious and fainted. The healer told her that her husband was not physically ill.
When asked why she did not take her husband to a hospital, she replied, “We are poor; taking him so far was impossible.” Meanwhile, rumors spread that Jyoti Sinku was practicing black magic and was responsible for the man's illness.
Pustun died on Tuesday evening, and that same night, according to Kolhan Sinku, Jyoti's husband, a mob of about 12 people, including five women, stormed their home and set his wife and child on fire.
“I pleaded with them to resolve the matter at the village council, but the attackers ignored me completely,” Jyoti's husband said from his hospital bed.
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Source:bbc