Berhampur: The Gajapati police on Monday arrested 12 persons for allegedly lynching a 40-year-old man the day before in a remote tribal village on witchcraft suspicion.The deceased, identified as Ram Chandra Mallick of Merma village under Mohana police station limits, had been living on a nearby hilltop after leaving the hamlet following repeated allegations that he was practising black magic.According to the police, villagers suspected Mallick’s involvement in the deaths of at least three persons and a series of illnesses reported in the village over the past three years. They had allegedly warned him on multiple occasions, prompting him to move away from the village.On Sunday, Mallick was called to a village meeting and asked to stop practising witchcraft. A dispute reportedly broke out during the meeting, following which, he was allegedly assaulted by a group of villagers and beaten to death.“The accused persons allegedly cremated the body at the spot after the murder to destroy evidence,” Rakesh Kumar Sahoo, SDPO (R Udayagiri), said.A team from Mohana police station, along with forensic experts, rushed to the village after receiving information about the incident. The forensic team collected bones and other materials from the site for examination.Police also rescued the victim’s family members, including his wife and six children aged between three and 19. They have been shifted to a shelter home and provided police protection to prevent any further untoward incident, the SDPO added.A case was registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by the victim’s wife, Kalabati Mallick. Police said the swift operation led to the arrest of most of the accused persons involved in the case. Efforts are on to trace the remaining suspects, while patrolling has been intensified and the situation in the village is being closely monitored, police added.