Police arrested five people on Friday in connection with an alleged human sacrifice ritual, a day after a 40-year-old man’s headless body was found in Odisha’s Balangir district, police said.
Police officers said Santosh Kharsel’s body was found near a pond in Bagada village on Thursday
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Police officers said Santosh Kharsel’s body was found near a pond in Bagada village on Thursday and that the killing is suspected to have been driven by the belief that human sacrifice would bring wealth, prosperity and well-being to the accused’s family.
The five people arrested in connection with Kharsel’s murder, a resident of Tebada Munda village, include Shatrughna Sahu, his mother, brother and sister-in-law.
“Sahu had been performing occult rituals at his house for some time, worshipping a stone and a copper serpent idol. A few days ago Sahu invited Kharsel to his house for a meal and allegedly mixed an intoxicating substance into his food. After Kharsel lost consciousness, Sahu carried out ritual prayers around midnight before beheading him with a sharp-edged weapon,” said Inspector General of Police (Northern Range) Himanshu Lal.
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Police suspect the victim’s blood was offered on the worship stone as part of the alleged ritual. “The victim’s severed head was dug out from the accused’s house. The crime scene has also been recreated as part of the investigation,” Lal said.
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Police suspect the victim’s blood was offered on the worship stone as part of the alleged ritual. “The victim’s severed head was dug out from the accused’s house. The crime scene has also been recreated as part of the investigation,” Lal said.
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Police said inquiries revealed Kharsel was last seen with Sahu, leading officers to question him. Police seized a blood-stained sharp weapon suspected to have been used in the killing.
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.
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