Man attacks elderly couple for using ‘black magic’; kills 1

Palghar: A 60-year-old tribal woman died and her husband was seriously injured when a man in their neighbourhood allegedly attacked them with an axe in Palghar district on suspicion the couple performed ‘black magic’ on his wife, police said on Thursday. The attacker, 25-year-old Vilas Nakoda, later attempted suicide by consuming rat poison and is now battling for life in a hospital, Inspector Kiran Pawar of the Dahanu police station said. The official said the wife of the accused used to fall sick very often and ultimately died in a village in the district. Nakoda suspected that his neighbours — Suresh Harji Barkud and his wife Gulab — had performed ‘black magic’, following which she died. “Hence, out of suspicion the accused attacked the elderly couple, following which both were severely wounded. They were moved to a specialised hospital where the elderly woman died on Thursday,” Pawar said.