Prayagraj family tries to revive dead girl through sorcery; four fall sick

The 14-year-old girl had died four days back due to some illness and her family was trying to revive her by performing special puja to please Bamba Devi (a local deity), said Prayagraj police.

Family members of a minor girl, who died about four days back in Diha village of Karchanna in trans-Yamuna area of Prayagraj, stayed with the body at home and tried to revive her through sorcery, police said.

Prayagraj police said four siblings of the minor girl were also found to be sick as they didn’t take any food for the past four days as part of some ritual. (Pic for representation)

They said four siblings of the deceased were found to be sick as they didn’t take any food for the past four days as part of some ritual.

Police have admitted the siblings to SRN Hospital and sent the body for post mortem that suggested the girl died of some illness. However, no FIR has been lodged in this connection so far.

The incident came to light on Tuesday when villagers experienced foul smell emanating from the house of farmer Abhayraj Yadav and informed the police.

When police forcibly entered the house of Yadav late Tuesday evening, they found the body of the 14-year-old girl lying on the floor. Four of her siblings, including three brothers and a married sister, were also found sick.

“Questioning of the family members revealed that they were performing a special puja (ritual) to please Bamba Devi (a local deity) for reviving the dead girl. They were not consuming food for the past four days and surviving only on river water,” SP trans-Yamuna Saurabh Dixit said.

Dixit said a team of doctors carried out medical checkup of the family and found them to be mentally unstable at that moment. The family included Abhayraj, his wife, five daughters and three sons.

“No involvement of any sorcerer has been found in the incident yet. The family members themselves were trying to revive the dead girl by pleasing the deity,” he said.

The official added that very little food and grains etc were found at their home. Police also found some burnt articles.

Some villagers claimed that Abhayraj and his family used to discuss about seeing ghosts and witches in their fields and practised sorcery.

The deceased’s cousin Umashankar said “Abhayraj’s family had severed ties with other villagers and relatives some time back. One of his four married daughters used to live with them. The family used to throw bricks and chase away their relatives and even their other three daughters whenever they came to visit them.”