In a shocking incident in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, a 13-year-old girl was reportedly murdered in a human sacrifice ritual. The suspects, including the girl’s 35-year-old mother, her mother’s partner, and a self-proclaimed occult practitioner, have been apprehended.
The tragic event occurred on the night of March 24 in Kusumbha village, where the girl vanished during a Ram Navami procession. Her lifeless body was discovered the following morning in a bamboo grove near a local middle school.
Initially, a complaint lodged by the victim’s mother led to the arrest of Dhaneshwar Paswan and others under pertinent sections of the law. However, the case took a dramatic turn following directives from the Jharkhand Director General of Police and the Hazaribagh Superintendent of Police.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was promptly formed on March 26 to delve into the matter. Through technical evidence and extensive interrogation, law enforcement uncovered a distressing series of events driven by superstition.
According to authorities, a local woman identified as Shanti Devi, also known as ‘Bhagtin’, purportedly convinced the victim’s mother that sacrificing a “virgin girl” could resolve her son’s illness and family issues. The mother, who had been in contact with the occult practitioner for months, was persuaded to offer her own daughter for the ritual.
On the fateful night, the mother and her partner, Bheem Ram (40), took the girl to the occult practitioner’s residence under the guise of a religious ceremony. Subsequently, the child was taken to a nearby bamboo grove after initial rituals.
Reportedly, Bheem Ram strangled the girl while the mother restrained her legs during the struggle. The occult practitioner allegedly inserted a wooden object into the girl’s body, and Bheem Ram collected blood for the ritual by hitting her head.
Following the heinous act, the body was abandoned at the scene. All the suspects have been arrested and placed in judicial custody. Additionally, Bheem Ram faces accusations of killing his sister-in-law and another individual.
Authorities have condemned the crime as a stark illustration of the perils associated with blind faith and detrimental superstitions.