The r!tual sacr!fice of a seven-year-old boy for black magic has ignited widespread outrage in India, as the child was allegedly k!lled to bring good fortune to a school.
According to Mail Online, the victim was discovered dead in his bed on the night of Sunday, September 22, at the hostel where he resided in the city of Hathras.
On Friday, police announced the arrest of the school owner, Jasodhan Singh, his son Dinesh Baghel, who served as the school director, and three teachers in connection with the incident.
Police indicated that Dinesh Baghel concealed the boy’s body in the trunk of his car instead of notifying authorities.
Officer Himanshu Mathur revealed that the boy was k!lled prior to a black magic ceremony that Baghel’s father was supposed to conduct. “The boy was meant to be taken to an altar as part of the r!tual, but he was k!lled before the ceremony could be completed,” he stated.
Baghel and his father were arrested alongside three other teachers at the school, Mathur added. He did not provide further details on the circumstances surrounding the child’s death, and local media reports indicate that the body is undergoing a post-mortem examination.
According to India’s National Crime Records Bureau, there were 103 reported cases of human sacr!fice in the country between 2014 and 2021. Ritual killings are typically performed to appease deities and are more prevalent in tribal and remote areas of India.