Kiran Parashar K M By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: In an unusual case, the family members of the accused in a human sacrifice case have approached the victim’s family seeking to withdraw the murder case by offering their own two children in lieu of the murdered girl.



Ayesha (10) was murdered on the night of March 1 in Magadi by slitting her throat. The accused Mohammed Vasil (43), his sister Rashidunnisa (33), black magic practitioner Naseem Taj (36) and a minor boy were arrested for killing the girl to allegedly cure Vasil’s brother Rafiq of paralysis. The accused are now in judicial custody.

Victim Ayesha



The offer of giving away the children was allegedly made by Badrushah, a relative of Vasil, on Thursday when both parties had gone to meet the Magadi police sub-inspector. Family sources said, “Vasil and his family have been boycotted by the community in Magadi. We (the community) are not supposed to talk or mingle with them.”



Magadi police sub-inspector Manjunath D R had reportedly asked the families of both the victim and the accused to end the boycott of Vasil’s family. According to relatives present during the meeting, the offer was made by Badrushah outside the police station.



The deceased Ayesha’s father Shafi Ullah said, “Badrushah said he was ready to compensate us for the death of our daughter by giving one of his daughter, a classmate of Ayesha, to us so that we give up the case.

We outrightly declined his proposal and told him that we will send a strong message to the society about such heinous practices. He then offered to give his us his eight-year-old son too, but we did not agree.”



Referring to the social boycott, Shafi Ullah said, “The masjid authorities have boycotted them and we do not have anything to do with that. We have also told the police that we cannot be held responsible if somebody causes harm to the family of the accused.”



The victim’s mother Jamila Banu said, “We will pursue the case and we hople to get justice. My daughter was butchered by these people. I will never forgive them.”



Sub-inspector Manjunath said, “Such an offer being made has not come to my notice. We will look into whether the family of the accused is trying to derail the case.”



Referring to the social boycott, he said, “No one from the accused’s family approached us in this regard officially. But we have information that the community has boycotted them.”