A 58-year-old man was arrested for allegedly killing his 17-year-old grandnephew and chopping his body into pieces in an occult ritual in Prayagraj district of Uttar Pradesh, police said on Thursday.
According to police, the accused, identified as Sharan, a resident of Kareli area of Prayagraj, allegedly kidnapped his grandnephew Piyush, who also went by the name Yash, while he was on his way to school on August 26. The accused killed the boy and chopped off his body into pieces as part of a "sacrificial ritual" advised by a self- styled occultist, before packing the pieces in plastic bags.
DCP (City) Abhishek Bharti said, "The accused Sharan Singh has confessed to chopping the victim into pieces as a sacrifice for getting rid of miseries on his family, packing them in separate plastic bags and throwing it at different places."
The accused threw bags containing the victim's hands and legs in a forest in Karehda area. He wrapped the victim's torso in red and pink bedsheets, kept it in a polythene bag, and threw it in a drain in Naini area on Wednesday, the DCP said, adding that the incident came to light when a woman saw the accused disposing of the body parts in Kuria Lawayan village.
Police recovered the plastic bag with the victim's torso, the DCP said. "Police arrested the accused on Wednesday after identifying him through the reg- istration number of his scooter," the senior cop said.
{{/usCountry}}Police recovered the plastic bag with the victim's torso, the DCP said. "Police arrested the accused on Wednesday after identifying him through the reg- istration number of his scooter," the senior cop said.
{{/usCountry}}According to the DCP, the accused is the younger brother of the victim's grandfather. Singh's son and daughter died by suicide in 2023 and 2024, respectively, he said, adding that the accused was suffering losses in his real estate business.