A widow, suspected of practising witchcraft, was lynched by her neighbours at tribal-dominated Kharibari village in Darjeeling district on Sunday, police said.
85-year-old Joba Hembron was killed at her West Gochia Joth residence.
Police said one of the attackers was detained for interrogation. For some weeks people had been accusing Joba of practising witchcraft and on Sunday night some people beat her to death, the police added.
Meanwhile, the Backward Classes Welfare Department of Jalpaiguri district in a report said at least 70 people had been killed in the name of witch hunting since 1994. Most of them were old women.