Woman kills mother-in-law accusing her of witchcraft

Published On: September 2, 2018 07:31 AM NPT By: Devendra Basnet

DANG, Sept 2: A woman in Dang has murdered her mother-in-law accusing her of practicing witchcraft. Tanki Rawat of Dangisharan Rural Municipality-3 on Saturday admitted to killing her mother-in-law Khopi Rawat, 69, as per the instruction of a Shaman.

According to the District Police Office (DPO), Dang, she killed her in a jungle of Salyan some ten days ago. She was arrested only on Saturday. As stated by Tanki to the police, she often fell ill and when she reached to a local Shaman for cure, she was told that it was because her mother-in-law was a witch. Then she hatched a plan to kill her.

On August 18, Tanki persuaded her mother-in-law to accompany her to Kapurkot of Salyan district for her treatment from a shaman. The next day, they became contactless. After being out of reach for more than 12 days, the family members filed a missing report with police. As police expedited the search for the missing, Khopi was found dead in Shivamandir Community Forest of Salyan’s Kapurkot Rural Municipality-2 on August 31.

However, the whereabouts of Tanki were still unknown. After suspecting that Khopi must have been murdered, police intensified search for Tanki. Finally, she was found from Krishnanagar of Kapilvastu. During police interrogation, she admitted to her crime.

“When I reached to the shaman for treatment, I was told that it’s because of my mother-in-law,” police quoted Tanki as saying.

“I killed her as I couldn’t be healthy as long as she was alive,” Tanki reportedly told the police.

Police further informed that she killed Khopi while returning from the Shaman on August 21.

“She developed hatred toward her mother-in-law after being told that she was the reason behind her ailing health,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Prakash Sapkota, chief of Area Police Office, Tulsipur, adding, “She somehow convinced her mother-in-law to go to Salyan with the ill intention of killing her.”

DSP Sapkota informed that Tanki killed Khopi by attacking her with a log on the head.

DPO, Dang has assigned Salyan Police to forward necessary action against Tanki.