The ritual sacrifice of a seven-year-old boy aimed at bringing good fortune to a school has ignited widespread outrage in India.
According to Mail Online, the child was found dead in his bed on Sunday night, September 22, at the hostel in Hathras where he lived.
On Friday, police announced the arrests of the school owner, Jasodhan Singh, his son Dinesh Baghel, the school director, and three teachers in connection with the case. Authorities reported that Baghel concealed the boy's body in the trunk of his car instead of notifying the police.
Police officer Himanshu Mathur stated that the boy was killed prior to a black magic ritual planned by Baghel's father. "The boy was supposed to be taken to an altar as part of the ceremony but was killed before it could be completed," he explained.
Baghel and his father were arrested alongside the three teachers, though Mathur did not provide further details about the child's cause of death. Local media reported that the body is undergoing a post-mortem examination.
Between 2014 and 2021, India's National Crime Records Bureau documented 103 cases of human sacrifice, which are typically performed to appease deities and are more prevalent in tribal and remote areas of the country