Villagers in a rural part of eastern India have beaten to death at least five women after accusing them of practicing witchcraft and bringing misfortune on the village, local security sources say.

The killings took place in the village of Kanjia, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Ranchi, the main city in the eastern state of Jharkhand, early on Saturday.

S.N. Pradhan, Jharkhand Police spokesman, said the villagers used stones and knives to kill the women after blaming them for bringing bad luck to the village through witchcraft.

“The women were dragged out of their home while asleep and beaten to death by the villagers suspecting them to be witches … some were even stoned to death,” Pradhan said.

Meanwhile, Arun Kumar Singh, Ranchi's deputy police chief, said law enforcement agencies have arrested at least two dozen villagers over the killings.

Meanwhile, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das said, "In the age of knowledge, this incident is sorrowful."

Superstitious belief in witchcraft remains widespread in some remote and impoverished regions across India.

Targeted women in some cases have been burnt alive.

Last month, machete-wielding villagers in the northeastern state of Assam dismembered and beheaded a 63-year-old woman after accusing her of casting evil spells on a village.

Indian government data showed that Jharkhand State accounted for 54 of 160 "witch hunt" murders in 2013.

Figures by India's National Crime Records Bureau indicated that about 2,000 people, mostly women, were killed by villagers between 2000 and 2012 on similar grounds.

Some Indian states have introduced special laws in an attempt to curb crimes against women accused of witchcraft.