Bhubaneswar, Oct 1 (IANS): A woman, her infant son, and an elderly person were hacked to death by unidentified assailants at Junagarh in Odisha's Kalahandi district on Sunday evening, police said.

The victims were identified as Raymati Majhi, 35, her four-old-son Shivashakti and 60-year-old Mahendra Kumar, all from Sankarpalli village under Junagarh police station.

Raymati’s husband has been in the district jail at Bhawanipatna for the last nine years allegedly for killing his aunt.

Sources said that Raymati, along with her son, was returning home from her brother’s house in the same village when unknown assailants killed them. Mahendra, a daily wager, was found dead with his throat slit around 200 metres far from the bodies of mother and son along the road.

Police, along with a forensic team and dog squad, have reached the spot and started investigation into the ghastly murder of the trio.

Police suspect that Raymati may have been killed over past enmity while the accused killed Mahendra who might have witnessed the murder of mother-son duo.

Earlier in the morning, a 58-year-old person was also brutally killed by his relatives allegedly over suspicion of practicing black magic and past enmity in Bhawanipatna area of the same district.

The deceased was identified as Jala Nayak of Sikerguda village under Bhawanipatna Sadar police station.

His younger brother, Prabesh Nayak and nephews Sahadev and Nakula have been detained by police for questioning.

“Both Jala and his brother’s families had engaged in bitter fights several times in the past over the allegations of practicing witchcraft. The prime accused Sahadev was reportedly harbouring a grudge against the deceased accusing him of killing his wife through black magic. On Sunday, Jala was going to his farm land when Sahadev, who was already present there, attacked him with a sharp weapon. He later fled the spot leaving Jala in a pool of blood,” said police sources.