On Sunday, a 55-year-old woman was rescued by the police who were held hostage and branded a witch by residents of Purihasa village under Sundernagar police station in Jharkhand.

This incident has brought into the focus the superstition of witchcraft and black magic rampant among villagers in the three districts namely East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum, and Seraikela Kharsawan.

Reportedly, the villagers had held the lady hostage after accusing her of trying to kill a 15-year-old girl who has been sick for quite some time in the village. They were adamant that they would not release the old woman until the minor girl gets well. However, the police managed to convince them and eventually rescued the lady safely.

The police are further trying to identify the persons who had held woman hostage and accused her of ‘witchcraft.’ The police also said that they will soon make some arrests.

As per a report’s information, residents of the village got hold of the woman and held her hostage around 3 pm and threatened to kill her if she didn’t cure the 15-year-old sick girl immediately. They branded her as a witch and alleged that she was trying to kill the minor girl through black magic.

The villagers had also alleged that the woman had practiced witchcraft a few times in the past as well.

Additional forces led by deputy superintendent of police (DSP, Law, and Order) Aloke Ranjan managed to rescue the woman safely by the evening.