A 72-year-old man was allegedly killed by two miscreants on the suspicion that he practiced witchcraft, in Chandaka area on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, police said on Saturday.
Though the incident took place a month ago, it came to light when the skeleton of the man was found from the Chandaka forest sanctuary area on Friday, they said.
Two persons have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder.
The deceased was identified as Balram Deogam by his son on the basis of a neck ornament found with the skeleton, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh told reporters here.
The elderly man had been missing since the night of September 30, when he had gone to guard his agricultural field and did not return, he said.
The accused, after allegedly killing Deogam, buried his body in the jungle and threw his belongings into a nearby pond, Singh said.
"Both of them have confessed to the crime during interrogation," another officer said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
