Four held for practising witchcraft

The atmosphere at Shergarh village near the Chandigarh bypass in Hoshiarpur turned tense late last night when villagers, suspicious of the presence of some unknown individuals, surrounded the crematorium.

Uttamjit Singh Sabi and other villagers reported that they had come to close the gate of the crematorium outside their village and noticed some people sitting there, who were not from the village. They surrounded the crematorium and informed the police. The police took the four individuals to the Sadar police station for questioning. He said one of the arrested individuals, identified as a 'Baba', had spread a black cloth at the cremation ground and placed eggs, alcohol, and other items near it. He was allegedly practising some form of witchcraft. The police have taken the individuals into custody and begun questioning them.