From correspondents in Jharkhand, India, 01:31 PM IST

Two tribal widows were killed in Jharkhand's steel city of Jamshedpur after they were branded witches, police said Wednesday.

Radhika Gorai, 65, and Parvati Sabar, 30, were Tuesday beaten to death by their neighbours in Kharia Basti of Jamshedpur, about 140 km from here.

Police said the trouble began after Betka Sabar, 10, died Monday due to tuberculosis. The child's family members suspected the role of the two women in his death and beat them to death with iron rods.

Parvati's younger sister Chunnu Sabar told the police that the villagers branded the women witches and killed them as punishment for allegedly practising black magic. She also claimed that her sister was raped before being killed.

Police have registered a first information report (FIR) and are searching for five suspects.

Witchcraft allegations are rampant in Jharkhand. In the last 10 years, more than 600 people, mostly women, have been killed in the state after being branded witches.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)