Kolkata, Jan 5 : A minor grandson has been detained on charges of murdering his elderly grandmother on suspicion of practising witchcraft, police said on Monday.

The incident took place in the Mahmudpur area of Ramkrishnapur Gram Panchayat under the jurisdiction of Kumarganj Police Station in South Dinajpur district.

Upon receiving information, police recovered the elderly womanâ??s body and sent it for post-mortem examination. The accused minor has been detained.

According to police, the deceased has been identified as Lakshmi Soren. She was living with her son, daughter-in-law, grandson and granddaughter.

For some time, her granddaughter had been unwell. The accused allegedly claimed that his sisterâ??s illness was due to Lakshmi Soren practising witchcraft.

It is alleged that the minor had been verbally abusing his grandmother for a long time over this accusation. He reportedly also threatened her with dire consequences on several occasions. On Sunday night, the accused allegedly dragged Lakshmi Soren out of her house onto the street and assaulted her.

The elderly womanâ??s son, Monglu Tudu, and daughter-in-law, Latika Hansda, tried to intervene but failed to save her. Having no other option, they approached local panchayat member Ranjita Barman.

Following this, the panchayat memberâ??s husband, Kanak Sarkar, informed the police. However, the woman reportedly died before police could reach the spot.

Later that night, personnel from Kumarganj police station detained the accused grandson. Police also recovered the body and sent it to Balurghat District Hospital for post-mortem examination on Monday.

â??The accused minor has been detained and an investigation has been launched into the matter. Prima facie, it appears that the grandmother was beaten to death by the grandson after he suspected her of practising witchcraft,â?? a South Dinajpur district police officer said.

According to the officer, family members are being questioned as part of the investigation. The incident has created a sensation in the area. Local residents expressed shock over the incident, stating that it was difficult to believe that a minor grandson could be involved in the killing of his grandmother.

/IANS