Koppal police have arrested nine persons in connection with an alleged sacrificing of a five-year-old girl child in a treasure hunting bid in a field. The incident occurred on February 3 and the body was found in a latrine on the first floor of a house that is under construction on February 4.

The names of the arrested persons were given as Basavaraj of Hosahalli, Mahendra Reddy of Seerenahalli, Shivappa of Bevinahalli, Veeresh of Chikkamadignal, Megappa of Abbigeri Tanda, Lakshmangouda of Arakeri, Hanumanth of Irkalgad, Gidda Hanumanthappa of Chikkamadignal and Shankarappa of Hudedjali. Four more, Ramanna, Somanna, Kalkappa and Jayamma, are being questioned, according to P. Raja, Superintendent of Police.

Dr. Raja told presspersons here on Tuesday that all the arrested had conspired to sacrifice a girl child, as suggested by a sorcerer, to find a treasure worth Rs. 18 crore buried in a field amid two bodies.

Accordingly, Basavaraj managed to kidnap Gayatri (5), daughter of Sharanabasappa from Hosahalli village, and handed her over to Mahendra Reddy on January 26.

Meanwhile, a tantrik from Kerala was summoned to carry out the ritual. On February 3, the child’s fingers were cut after which she died. Later, the perpetrators of the crime abandoned the body in the latrine of the house under construction, he said.

Sharanabasappa lodged a complaint about Gayatri going missing, with the Munirabad police on January 28, he said.

The police, led by Rajiv, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Satish Patil, Circle Inspector of Police (Rural), Vishwanath and Anjinappa, both Police Sub-Inspectors, who pursued various leads, successfully cracked the case.

The girl was kidnapped from Hosahalli on January 26 and was killed on February 3