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