Bhubaneswar:  A 62-year-old woman was hacked to death by a man for allegedly practising black magic and holding her responsible for the death of a relative in the Jajpur district of Odisha, the police said on Thursday.

After the crime, he surrendered before the police with the severed head and the axe. The incident occurred in Chhatara village under the Danagadi police station on Wednesday night, the police said.

Accused Kartika Kerei had taken his ailing cousin brother to Nandini Purti, who allegedly practised black magic. She assured them that the ailing man would be cured. But his condition worsened and he died at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, earlier this month. An angry Kerai axed the woman to death, the police said.

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