The father and uncle of an infant were arrested Thursday for trying to bury alive the child on a tantrik’s “promise” of a male child and prosperity.
“We got the girl alive. She is in a very bad state,” superintendent of police (SP) Kiran S said.
Early Wednesday, a guard posted at a crematorium in Rampura area of Pilkhuwa, 40 km from Delhi, noticed Dinesh Kumar and his brother-in-law Chandra Pal digging a grave.
He alerted locals when he heard the cries of a baby. The two have been booked for attempt to murder. The tantrik, Champi, is absconding.
“Champi told the parents to bury the girl, who kept unwell, if they wanted a healthy male child and prosperity,” the SP said.
The couple, who also have a three-year-old daughter, had lost a girl some time ago.
This is the second such incident in Panchsheel Nagar district in less than a month. In April, a family in Hapur had put a newborn into an earthen pot on a tantrik’s “advice”. The girl was rescued after 36 hours.