Superstition strikes again in Ranchi, Jharkhand, claiming another victim in a meticulously planned murder disguised as a freak accident. Etwari, a resident of Taladith village, was gunned down in her home on February 1. Her brother-in-law Sonaram Lohra paid Rs 2 lakh to assassins who then tossed her body into a chulha blaze to erase the bullet evidence. Six arrests followed a damning postmortem that unraveled the conspiracy.
Police received word of a woman’s fiery death in Tamar jurisdiction. Skeptical from the start, they rushed the body for postmortem at RIMS. The findings were chilling: a fatal headshot preceded the burning, pointing straight to foul play.
A dedicated team under Rural SP Praveen Pushkar, per SSP orders, zeroed in on the perpetrators. Sonaram, the prime accused and Etwari’s devar, spilled the beans in custody. Blaming her for his two children’s deaths via jadu-tona, he admitted commissioning the hit.
The assailants—Soma Lohra, Lakhichand Lohra, Kalicharan Lohra, Amit Lohra, and Vishnu Mahto—executed the cold-blooded plan flawlessly until police pounced. Recovered evidence: one desi katta, two bikes, and two phones.
As Jharkhand grapples with rising occult-related crimes, this case serves as a grim reminder. Education and awareness are crucial to dismantle these archaic beliefs fueling barbarity. The law will ensure the guilty face the gallows.