In Maharashtra, neighbour kills woman over suspicion of witchcraft

Thane: A 35-year-old man in Maharashtra's Thane district allegedly killed his woman neighbour over suspicion that she practised witchcraft, police said on Thursday.

The man's wife died around eight days back at Apti village in Kalyan taluka.

He suspected that his 45-year-old woman neighbour practised witchcraft on his wife, Kalyan taluka police station inspector Balaji Pandhre said.

The man allegedly stabbed her with a knife on Tuesday evening, he said, adding that the woman died on the spot.

Some neighbours alerted the police who rushed to the spot and sent the body for postmortem.

The accused was arrested on Wednesday and charged under Indian Penal Code Section 302 (murder), Pandhre said.

The victim and the accused also had a land dispute and the police were probing if that led to the crime, he said.