Mystery surrounding death of two people in ASR district

The death of two persons in Chuttumetta, an interior tribal hamlet under the jurisdiction of Pedabayalu police station in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district, is shrouded in mystery.

Police quoted locals as saying that Anasamma, 45, a worker on a coffee plantation, fell ill on June 20 while on his way home from work.

Instead of taking her to a doctor, Anasamma’s brother Trinadh suspected that she was a victim of alleged black magic and took her to a person named Sahadev, who claimed to be a “sorcerer” of the hamlet.

It was alleged that Trinadh, who was standing next to the woman, had blown some ash on the woman’s face and that Sahadev himself died a few minutes after inhaling the ash.

After learning about the incident on June 22, police and health department personnel organized a counseling program for the villagers, advising them not to believe in practices like black magic and instead approach the police for help.

“There are no complaints from the local residents. If we assume that the ashes are laced with some poisonous substance, then how can Anasamma survive? The bodies were buried by the relatives immediately after the incident,” said a senior police official.

Meanwhile, DMHO Jamal Basha said in a press release on June 23 that a team of doctors, including a psychiatrist, will visit the hamlet on June 24 and conduct a health camp and a counselling session for the residents.