Ranchi, Aug 8 Five women were beaten to death here early on Saturday for allegedly practicing witchcraft, police said.

The incident took place at Mandar, around 40 km from Ranchi.

\"Five women were beaten to death with sticks and rods by villagers, mostly the youth. The women were picked from their houses on late Friday night. The villagers alleged that they were involved in practicing black magic,\" a police officer told IANS.

Senior police officers have reached the village. The bodies of the five women, who were from different families, have been sent for post-mortem.

More than 750 women have been killed over the years in Jharkhand after being branded as witches.

Five women lynched in Jharkhand for practicing witchcraft