Pochaiah (40), a fisherman by caste, his wife Sayavva (35), mother Pochavva (55) and sons Bhumaiah (12) and Navin (6) were sleeping in their house when some persons, suspected to be fellow caste men from the same village, hurled stones at the door.

When the inmates did not open, the intruders set the house on fire. According to locals, the attackers remained near the house till the victims were completely burnt. They did not allow the villagers to rescue the family nor report the matter to the police, sarpanch or village elders who came to know about the incident only around 7 a.m.

All the five were charred beyond recognition. Pochaiah's father Sangem Lakshmaiah was the only one tohave survived as he was sleeping in another house.

The colony of fishermen located slightly away from the main village helped the accused to carry out the atrocity. It was alleged that the witchcraft practiced by Pochaiah resulted in the death of one Abbayya 20 days ago while another fell seriously ill.