Bhawanipatna: A 60-year-old man was killed allegedly on suspicion of practising sorcery in Kalahandi district, police said on Tuesday. Four persons have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder. The deceased was identified as Raghu Patra of Kandama village under Lanjigarh block of Kalahandi district. Patra had been missing since July 30.

After receiving a missing person complaint from Raghu’s family members, Biswanathpur police in Kalahandi district started an investigation. The police were able to trace the body of Patra on Monday. The body was found lying on the rail tracks near Dahikhal in neighbouring Rayagada district. The local police sent it to the Government Railway Police (GRP) station at Rayagada as it was an unidentified body at that time, police said.

After receiving the body, Biswanathpur police on Monday conducted an investigation with the help of a sniffer dog and a scientific team in the village and detained two suspects, Naresh Dora and Sunai Harijan. During interrogation, Naresh admitted to committing the crime with the help of his associates.

Naresh and his accomplices Sunai, Pradeep Harijan and Bhola Dora intercepted the deceased and murdered him and threw the body on the railway track near Dahikhal station. From preliminary investigation, it was established that Naresh’s father Dushamanta had died a month ago and the family suspected that Raghu killed him by using black magic. Since then, Naresh was following Raghu’s movement.

Inspector in-charge of Biswanathpur police station, Tulsiram Sabar, said the four accused involved in the incident were arrested and forwarded to court. Further investigation is going on, he said.