A three-week old baby girl buried alive near a pond in India for hours miraculously survived after locals heard her cries and dug her out.

Residents in Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh in northern India heard the cries of the infant on Friday evening, when temperatures had dropped to just 37F (3C).

They quickly dug her frigid body out and rushed her to a hospital where her condition was stabilised.

Passer-by Dharmendra Kumar first heard the baby's cries and dug up the earth to save the baby (left and right)

Passer-by Dharmendra Kumar, who first heard the baby's cries, said: 'I was passing through the area at half past seven when I heard a baby crying.

'The sound of her cries led me to the spot. I quickly dig up the earth and found her alive.

He took her to the nearby government hospital and informed the police.

Kumar said: 'It is such a cruel act.

'I cannot believe how can a person could abandon the baby in this cold weather.'

A police investigation found out the infant's parents - a 30-year-old man and 28-year-old woman, had buried their third-born along with two relatives on the instructions of a shaman who claimed the infant was possessed.

Police said they have arrested the father, the aunt, her husband and the shaman while the mother remains on the run.

The shaman, Abrar Ali, (far left), stands in police custody alongside the father (second from left) and aunt (centre), flanked by police officers to the right and rear

The baby was found on Friday evening when temperatures had plummeted to just three degrees Celsius

Police arrested the 'tantrik', the father, the aunt of the child and her husband, while the mother remains on the run

Ali is alleged to have instructed the parents of the girl to bury their daughter after claiming she was possessed

Subhash Chandra Shakya, Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) said: 'The baby was buried alive by her maternal aunt Aasma after she was asked to do so by the parents of the baby.

'This step was taken on the advice of a Tantrik who had claimed that the baby girl was possessed and her presence at home could destroy their life.

'We have arrested the tantrik, uncle, aunt and the father but the mother is still absconding.'

A 'tantrik' is a practitioner of tantra - which is another branch of the Hindu and Buddhist belief systems.

Tantra is a broad term encompassing many theories and texts about methods and practice of the faith.