Hetauda, Nov. 15 -- year-old man from Raksirang Rural Municipality in Makawanpur district has been arrested for allegedly fatally shooting a local shaman (dhami) in what police describe as a murder driven by deep-rooted superstition.

Inspector Raju Kurmi of Makawanpur District Police Office said that Imansingh Thokar of Kolgaidi Thakuridanda shot 64-year-old shaman Thule Gole in the chest on Friday. Thokar told investigators that he held the dhami responsible for the deaths of his five-year-old grandson and three neighbours over the past four years.

"Thokar showed little remorse during interrogation and claimed that the dhami had 'pierced and killed' his relatives and neighbours through supernatural means," Kurmi said. Thokar had bought...