Ranchi, Jul 21 (IANS): In another case of mob lynching, four persons were thrashed and killed in the Gumla district of Jharkhand on Sunday.

According to police, 10-12 people attacked a family in the Siskari village in the wee hours of Sunday. The attackers dragged the victims out of a house, thrashed them and later slit their throats. The victims have been identified as 60-year-old Chapa Oraon, his wife and two others.

"It seems the attackers believed the victims were practicing witchcraft", said Anajani Kumar Jha, Gumla Superintendent of Police.

According to the police, villagers blamed the family for some bad happenings in the village. The local panchayat was summoned at around 3 a.m, which decided to punish the family for practicing witchcraft.

Senior police officers have reached the village and bodies have been sent for post-mortem. No one has been arrested till now.

More than 1,000 people have been killed on the suspicion of practicing witchcraft in In Jharkhand in the past two decades.