Child murder was human sacrifice - The Times of India

 In yet another twist in the New Town child murder case, police now say that the killing was an occult sacrifice and not a spur-of-the-moment crime as the prime accused — granny Aarti Naskar and aunt Kavita Naskar — had made it out to be.

Police are surprised by how long Aarti and Kavita managed to hold out under relentless interrogation. The murder was committed on Mahalaya, discovered two days later, on October 14, and it was not until October 24 that the duo cracked. They had all along tried to mislead the investigation. Even after confessing on October 17, the 63-year-old granny and Kavita stuck to a cooked-up story to dodge harsher charges for a planned murder, say police. "They are still trying to hoodwink us. You can imagine their resolve," said an investigator.

Macabre as it may sound, little Preeti Naskar was killed just 2km from the New Town IT hub because Aarti and Kavita were told by a tantric that if the child were sacrificed on the "auspicious Mahendra jog" — Amavasya on Mahalaya — they would gain "unheard of wealth" and a long life, say police. Kavita is a graduate and took pride in being the most educated in the family.

Child murder was human sacrifice - The Times of India


See also:: Other recent articles of note,,,

• Our 9-yr-old child was human sacrifice victim: Parents to CM Siddaramaiah 
• Tamil Nadu to probe Madurai `human sacrifice'

Macabre! 4-yr-old boy `sacrificed' in Andhra Pradesh - The Times of India

According to The Hindu,  "Superintendent of police Ch. Srikanth said, 'This is a first-of-its-kind incident in Prakasam district.'' He added that the accused had a reputation in the village of keeping ties with practitioners of tantric rituals, and had on Tuesday night made an unsuccessful attempt to abduct an 18-month-old girl."

As noted by C Seshaiah, a member of the Indian Rationalists movement, "Such things might have happened in these parts during British times but they are uncommon in Independent India though animal sacrifices are often performed to appease villages deities." 

In a gruesome instance of human sacrifice, a villager severed the head of a four-year-old child and offered his blood to Goddess Kali seeking "divine powers". The macabre incident took place in Scheduled Castes colony in the remote Pokur village at Valetivaripalem mandal in Prakasam district on Wednesday.

Police recovered the sickle used by the accused, P Tirumala Rao (35), to kill the boy, Manu Sagar, at his residence. Enraged villagers caught hold of Rao and set him on fire. He was taken to Kandukur hospital with 40% burns. Villagers said Rao performed black magic and various pujas as he believed he would attain divine powers and wealth by human sacrifice. The accused is believed to have filled the blood in a bottle and offered it to deities.

Macabre! 4-yr-old boy `sacrificed' in Andhra Pradesh - The Times of India

Young Nepalese boy slain in human sacrifice ritual - CNN.com

What is troubling, no mention of a punishment for the holy man who gave them this idea,,,

A Nepalese man has confessed to the murder of a young boy after saying a local holy man advised him that a human sacrifice would heal his ailing son, local police said.

The body of 10-year-old Jivan Kohar was found on July 24 on the outskirts of Kudiya village in southwest Nepal. The child had gone missing three days earlier.

Police superintendent Nal Prasad Upadhyaya, who headed the investigation, told CNN on Monday that Kodai Harijan admitted committing the gruesome crime with his relatives after consulting the priest. In some cultures, priests are believed to have magical or spiritual powers to cure the sick.

According to testimony given to police, Harijan and his relatives found the child playing with friends in the village and lured him away by giving him a pack of biscuits and promising him 50 rupees (49 cents). 

The boy was taken to a temple on the outskirts of the village, where they performed a religious ritual. He was then taken to a field nearby, where three people held him down as another slit his throat. When police found him, the boy's head was almost severed from his body. 

Eleven people in total, including the holy man, have been arrested for their involvement, with the perpetrators facing a life sentence. At least five have confessed to their part in the killing.

Young Nepalese boy slain in human sacrifice ritual - CNN.com

India: Man beheaded in ritual sacrifice for a better harvest

The Indian police are investigating the death of a 55-year-old man beheaded in what is thought to be a ritual sacrifice intended to conjure up a better harvest.

The headless corpse of Thepa Kharia was found in his house in a remote village in the state of Jharkhand, eastern India.

Kharia's brother told police that a group of occultists, known as Orkas, decapitated the man after breaking in his house in order to carry out a sacrifice calling for more rain and better crop yields.

The Hindustan Times quoted Khana's brother as saying: "Orkas can be anyone, from farmers to tantriks. They bury the head in the field and expect that the sacrifice will yield good harvest for the community."

Ajay Kumar Thakur, the officer investigating the murder, told news agency AFP: "The family says the occultists killed him for the ritual. His head is still missing."

India: Man beheaded in ritual sacrifice for a better harvest