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Rajasthan: Man kills 11-year-old after 'tantrik' assures 'ritual sacrifice' would resolve his marital issues
Rajasthan: Man kills 11-year-old after 'tantrik' assures 'ritual sacrifice' would resolve his marital issues
Jodhpur, An 11-year-old boy was brutally murdered in Rajasthan's Pali district in what police are suspecting to be a case of human sacrifice, an official said on Friday.
The accused, a 30-year-old man from the same village as the victim, allegedly committed the murder after a 'tantrik' assured him that making a human sacrifice would solve his long-standing marital problems.
Police said the victim, a madrasa student, was returning home on Thursday afternoon when the accused known to the child and his family allegedly took him to a secluded area near a pond outside the village.
Police believe the accused carried out a planned ritual before murdering the child.
The boy's hands, legs and mouth were allegedly tied before his throat was slit with a sharp weapon. Police has recovered what appear to be ritualistic objects, including a broken earthen pot and blood-stained wooden pieces, from the spot.
The murder came to light after the child failed to return home. During a search, family members discovered his body lying in bushes near the pond.
Initially, the accused attempted to portray himself as a witness and kept changing his version before villagers.
"He was pretending to help and claimed he had seen someone else committing the murder," a family member of the victim said. However, police grew suspicious after he suddenly disappeared once the matter was reported.
He was detained later in the same day. Police said the accused had allegedly chosen the victim for the ritual sacrifice nearly a fortnight ago, and had been keeping watch on his movements.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to the crime and revealed details regarding the occult ritual, Deputy Superintendent of Police Ratan Dewasi said, adding that the accused changed the bloodstained clothes and disposed them off in order to destroy evidence.
Devasi said the police are probing the role of the tantrik who allegedly influenced the accused.
"The case prima facie appears connected to occult practices and human sacrifice. Further investigation is underway," he said.
Villagers claimed the accused had a disturbing history of cruelty linked to superstition. According to locals, he had earlier slaughtered a buffalo calf and mutilated cattle in separate incidents over past two years. No formal action had been taken then, owing to repeated pleas from his family.
The heinous incident saw widespread anger in the village as residents gathered outside a local school demanding capital punishment for the accused. Community leaders also discussed expelling the accused's family from the village.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
