Toddler doused with boiling water, ‘sacrificed’ to propitiate gods in northeast Bihar
The child’s body was found in a pond on the outskirts of Fulwari village in Tarabari police station area of Araria district, 322 km northeast of Patna, on Tuesday
A panchayat member and her two sons have been accused of kidnapping and killing an 18-month-old child by pouring hot water on him “to propitiate gods” in northeast Bihar’s Araria district.
The child’s body was found in a pond on the outskirts of Fulwari village in Tarabari police station area of Araria district, 322 km northeast of state capital Patna, on Tuesday.
Tarabari station house officer (SHO) Prabhakar Bharti said accused Fulwari panchayat member Pramila Devi, 55, as well as her sons Mithilesh Ram, 32, and Shrawan Ram, 30, had been arrested and sent to jail.
“Prima facie, it appears that the child has been killed in witchcraft rituals, allegedly performed by Devi. Police are investigating the matter from other angles too. The post mortem examination report will reveal how the child was killed,” the SHO said.
“Devi, while confessing to have committed the crime, told the police that she had kept the body of the child in a trunk before disposing it,” the SHO added.
Earlier, Sanjay Ram, father of victim child Biraj Kumar Ram, had lodged a case with Tarabari police station, charging Devi, a widow, and her two sons with abducting his child on Sunday.
“She killed my son by pouring hot water on him to propitiate gods,” Sanjay Ram said in his complaint.
Sanjay Ram said Devi would often claim before villagers that she had powers to perform black magic.
“It was due to fear of her black magic powers that many in the village had voted for her in panchayat election,” Sanjay Ram said.