New Delhi, India - Rumours that a witch has been visiting homes in parts of Delhi and is behind several deaths are creating a scare in the Indian capital, it was reported on Friday.
So strong are the rumours in Sagarpur and adjoining areas of outer Delhi that a woman ringing a doorbell and asking for an onion runs the risk of being lynched, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported.
According to the rumours, a witch in the guise of a hungry woman rings the doorbell and asks for an onion. If she's given the onion, she cuts it in half and blood squirts out. The onion donor dies instantly, the report said, quoting residents of Sagarpur.
According to another version there are three witches doing the rounds of the area.
No one has seen the witch but the power of the rumour is such that even natural deaths in the area are being attributed to her black magic.
Hundreds of homes in Sagarpur area now have maroon and yellow palm prints painted on their doors - an auspicious sign to ward off the evil one.
Rumours regarding witches are common in rural India but not rampant in the cities. There have been several cases of women suspected of being witches being lynched in the eastern states of Jharkhand and Orissa.