Shivamogga man takes possessed mother to exorcist. She is beaten to death

Mangalore Today News Network

Shivamogga, July 8, 2025: A 55-year-old woman from Holehonnur (Bhadravathi taluk) was beaten to death over her being allegedly possessed by an evil spirit. The incident occurred on Monday night in Shivamogga district. A case of murder has been registered against the woman’s son, Sanjay, and the two people who claimed to drive the spirit away.

It all began when Geetamma’s son, Sanjay, thought his mother was possessed and took her to a woman named Asha, who claimed to perform a ritual to drive away the spirit. Asha, accompanied by her husband, Santosh, visited Geetamma’s house and began the so-called exorcism.

In the video, a dishevelled Geetamma, with her hair open, can be seen sitting on the floor in a semi-conscious state. The other woman, supposedly Asha, rotates a lemon around Geetamma’s head, makes her smell it and then hits her on the head with the same lemon.

Asha then splits the lemon into two halves and slaps it on Geetamma’s hair before rubbing and smashing it on the head. She repeats the process with the other half.

The self-proclaimed exorcist pulls Geetamma by her hair and slaps her four times before she falls to the ground. Asha then picks up a stick and repeatedly hits the elderly woman, who makes several attempts to protect herself from the beating, but all in vain.

The assault, recorded on camera, began around 9:30 pm and is said to have continued till 1:00 am.

As a result of the continuous beating, Geetamma succumbed to her injuries.

A case of murder has been registered and the three accused - Sanjay, Asha, and Santosh - have been arrested.

Last week, five members of a family were set ablaze in Bihar’s Purnia district on suspicion of practising ’witchcraft’. Late on Sunday night, a 50-strong mob, armed with bamboo sticks, barged into the house of Sita Devi and accused her of practising ’black magic’. The woman’s son, 16-year-old Sonu Kumar, who managed to escape, said the members of the mob began thrashing everyone who was at home.

All five, including Sonu’s parents, were set ablaze by the mob and their bodies were hidden under water hyacinth.