RAIPUR: In a horrific case of alleged child sacrifice and tantra practices, a 13-year-old boy was killed and his private part was chopped off with a sharp weapon in Baloda Bazaar district on Sunday.

The naked body of boy lying in a pool of blood was found on the premises of his residence despite a few family members present at home. Initially, his mother alleged black magic and superstition behind the incident due to recent suspicious incidents taking place in her family.

Police have arrested the father of the victim along with a ‘baiga’ (witch doctor) in connection with the case.

Residents of Amera village of Baloda Bazaar district were shocked when the body of teenage boy was found with his private part chopped.

Police said that the mother of the teen identified as Rupesh Patel was out in the fields while his father Ramgopal and his sister were at home when the incident took place.

It was only when the mother returned that she raised an alarm, wailing on seeing her son’s body.

Talking to TOI, Baloda Bazaar SP RN Dash said, “During preliminary investigation, based on the evidences collected from the spot of crime, police have arrested his father who is still in a state of shock and probably repenting for his acts. We have also arrested a baiga identified as Rajesh Yadav who instigated Ramgopal to kill his own son claiming that all his problems would be solved once he sacrifices his son.”

Though the details of circumstances in which Ramgopal killed his son would be established once he’s interrogated thoroughly, police have lodged an FIR under section 302 and 120 B of the IPC against baiga Rajesh and father Ramgopal.

Police were also probing other baigas in the region, suspecting their lead role in driving the whole crime, as there were vital evidences collected by police.

According to information, Patel family was too superstitious to resolve their problems via other means and often took refuge in baigas and blindly followed their instructions.

Police said that teen’s mother had said that some evil spirit might have killed her son as she claimed that there were some unusual incidents happening in the family. The baigas were performing some special puja also to prevent the evil spirit from disturbing peace of the family.

The accused have used an axe in killing the child.

Similar incidents have taken place in the past when two persons were arrested in Ambikapur in May last year for killing a 12-year-old boy who was found dead on with his throat slit and hands sliced stuffed in a rucksack near a river. The two accused were from the same family who confessed the crime stating that sacrificing a child was necessary to bring peace in the family and please Goddess.

In another incident in August 2016, a father killed his 10-year-old son on the first day of Navratra strangulating him to death near a pond. The man explained away this as his strong belief on ‘Ma Durga’ the Goddess and that she had demanded for his son’s sacrifice, saying “I sacrificed my son to make my Devi happy.”

