Woman, 4 others arrested in Bihar for sacrificing 2-year-old child

The decomposed body of the child, who went missing on January 22, was recovered from a pit north of Kudra railway station on January 29

BHABUA: A woman allegedly sacrificed a two-year-old child with the help of four others in Bihar’s Kaimur district, believing it would help her daughter conceive, police said. The five accused were arrested on Thursday.

The two-year-old boy, from Navali village in Uttar Pradesh’s Gazipur district, was visiting his maternal grandmother’s house in Lalapur locality with his mother to attend his uncle’s wedding (Representational image)

The decomposed body of the child, who went missing on January 22, was recovered from a pit in north of Kudra railway station on January 29, said Hari Mohan Shukla, superintendent of police (SP), Kaimur.

Allegedly influenced by an exorcist, who is currently on the run, the woman strangled the child and chopped off his legs. “The grader machine used to cut the legs has been recovered. The exorcist has been identified, and raids are underway to trace him,” Shukla added.

Police said the two-year-old boy, from Uttar Pradesh’s Gazipur district, was visiting his maternal grandmother’s house in Lalapur locality with his mother to attend his uncle’s wedding.

On January 22, the boy went missing while playing outside the house, prompting his uncle, Ajay Pal, to file a missing persons report with the Kudra police station.

Electronic surveillance and ground intelligence led the police to the suspects. Munni Kunwar, her son Avinash Kumar, his friend Ankit Kumar, Laxmina Devi, and her son Parasnath Pal were arrested after police interrogation.

“Munni broke down during interrogation. She said her daughter, who is married, was childless. No medical treatment helped. She alleged that her daughter was tortured by her husband and in-laws, who threatened her with a second marriage as she was unable to conceive,” said a police officer.

Munni allegedly came in contact with an exorcist who assured her that her daughter could conceive a son after sacrificing a boy. Following this, she, along with Laxmina and Ankit, hatched a plan to kidnap the boy. “On January 22, Ankit and Parasnath kidnapped the child from outside his maternal grandmother’s house and handed him over to Munni. After the child was sacrificed, Laxmina dumped the body in the bushes,” said the officer.

Shukla said the accused had covered the mud flooring where the sacrifice took place with concrete to hide the evidence.