In a crime driven by superstition, a property dealer in Prayagraj allegedly chopped his 17-year-old grandnephew into pieces after allegedly being misled by a tantrik (occultist) who told him that sacrificing a youth would remove “planetary defects” and save his family from further tragedy, police said on Thursday.
Police said the accused, Sharan Singh of Kareli locality near Sadiapur Gurudwara, lured his grandnephew, a Class 11 student, into his house on Tuesday morning while the boy was on his way to school. After gagging him, Singh dragged him into a room, performed rituals by chanting mantras as advised by the tantrik, and then him, they added. “The accused later chopped the body into pieces, packed them separately in plastic bags wrapped in bedsheets, and tried to dispose of them at different places to conceal evidence,” police said.
DCP (city) Abhishek Bharti said the accused confessed to the crime and admitted to following the tantrik’s advice. “The police are searching for the tantrik,” he added.
According to police, Singh is the younger brother of the victim’s grandfather. He had six children, including four sons and two daughters. However, a son and daughter died by suicide in 2023 and 2024, reportedly due to depression and family problems. Distressed by these deaths, financial losses in real estate and the fear of losing his remaining children, Singh sought help from a tantrik. The tantrik allegedly told him that sacrificing a youth of the same age as his deceased children would ward off planetary defects and end his miseries.
During interrogation, Singh admitted that his grandnephew became the target as he was of the same age as his deceased son and daughter and lived adjacent to his house, making him an “easy target”. On Tuesday morning, Singh called the boy inside on some pretext, gagged him, and killed him inside the innermost room of his house while chanting mantras, police explained.
{{/usCountry}}During interrogation, Singh admitted that his grandnephew became the target as he was of the same age as his deceased son and daughter and lived adjacent to his house, making him an “easy target”. On Tuesday morning, Singh called the boy inside on some pretext, gagged him, and killed him inside the innermost room of his house while chanting mantras, police explained.
{{/usCountry}}Later that evening, Singh dumped the victim’s hands and legs in a forest in Karehda, about 10 km away, while the torso was thrown into a drain in Naini on Wednesday afternoon, they added.
The case came to light when an elderly woman grazing her cattle saw Singh discarding a suspicious-looking packet in Kuria Lawayan near Saraswati Hi-Tech City and raised an alarm. A passerby informed police, who recovered the torso. CCTV footage from nearly 200 cameras between Saraswati Hi-Tech City and the old Yamuna bridge showed Singh transporting a large packet on the footrest of his scooter. He was arrested from his house on Wednesday night.
Singh later led police to the remaining body parts. During a press briefing on Thursday, DCP Bharti also displayed the tools, including a hacksaw, hammer and blade, used in the crime.