Witchcraft Suspicion Ends In Brutal Murder: Odisha Crime Branch Cracks 2-Year-Old Sack Body Mystery

Cuttack: The Odisha Crime Branch has solved a two-year-old blind murder case in which a decomposed body was found stuffed inside a sack and dumped in a well under the Udala police station limits on November 8, 2023.

DGP Crime Branch Vinaytosh Mishra said the body was so badly decomposed that investigators initially had no clues about the victim's identity.

The case was later handed over to the Crime Branch, which verified missing person reports from nearly a 100-kilometre radius but failed to get a breakthrough.

The investigation took a decisive turn after officers focused on two mismatched slippers, sizes four and five, found with the body.

The victim's son, who lives in Kerala, approached the Crime Branch after learning about the investigation and identified the footwear as the kind his father used to wear. DNA profiling of the son's blood sample later confirmed that the deceased was Jugraj Singh.

Further investigation revealed that Jugraj Singh allegedly practised witchcraft and performed rituals.

Police said the accused believed Jugraj was responsible for the drowning death of one of their sons through black magic.

Based on the last-seen evidence, witness statements and other circumstantial evidence, the Crime Branch arrested Shan Gaud, Mohan Singh alias Mruda, and a juvenile.

According to the Crime Branch, the juvenile confessed to his role during the investigation. Police also found that the accused had earlier made statements to local residents implying that they had "finished him", which investigators treated as an important piece of evidence.

The juvenile has been produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, while the two adult accused have been forwarded to court.

The investigation is complete, the Crime Branch said.

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