A minor girl was reportedly beheaded at a tea estate in Assam’s newly-created Charaideo district to appease a deity in order to retrieve a lost mobile phone.
The incident, which took place in the Adivasi community dominated Ratanpur Village of Charaideo district about a week back, came to the fore only on Monday after the police recovered the body of a four-year-old girl, who had been missing since October 24.
“Police recovered the body of the minor girl yesterday after it was spotted by some villagers. The head was detached from the body and the hands were missing,” police said, adding that the body had been sent for autopsy. The police are waiting for the report.
“We have arrested two persons for their involvement in the crime. Some of the locals suspected it to be a case of human sacrifice looking at the manner in which the minor was killed. One Hanuman Bhumij, organised a special puja at his house on October 24 to retrieve the mobile phone of his daughter. A tantric came to the house of Bhumij to do the special puja,” said a senior police official quoting the locals.
“The victim, Sunu Godba, also went missing the same day. We have arrested Bhumij and one Arif Uddin Ali for their suspected involvement in the crime. However, the tantric Gul Mohammed Ali and one of his accomplices Abdul Jalil managed to escape,” he said adding that the police were probing the angle of human sacrifice.
“We suspect that the special puja at the house of Bhumij and the killing of the minor are related and this would be clear once we arrest the tantric and his accomplice,” said the official while adding that they would be brought to book soon.
The Adivasi and tea tribe dominated areas in Assam, particularly spread to the tea rich Sivsagar, Golaghat and Charaideo districts are still backward and many social evils like witch hunting or human sacrifice are still prevalent in those areas.