Exorciser strangles girl to death, triggers shock waves

Dehradun police have arrested an around 20-yr-old Abu Hasan, a sorcerer, on Wednesday on the charge of strangling a 9-yr-old, named Reema Khatun, to death on Tuesday. Khatun had gone missing from her home on Tuesday evening. The police had recovered her body from the bushes around one and half kilometers away from her home, at Ranjhawala, Raipur on Tuesday night, said Dehradun SSP Pushpak Jyoti while interacting with media persons on Wednesday.

The accused, native of Araria, (Bihar) admitted his offence and said that he had strangled her to death and had thrown the body in the bushes. However, the accused did not explain the reason that drove him to such a ghastly act. However, it is supposed that the necromancer had sacrificed the girl by way of rituals related to sorcery. 

The deceased’s father Mobin Ansari registered a complaint in Raipur Police Station late Tuesday evening, stating that her daughter who was playing outside the house had gone missing around 5 pm from the home. Acting on it, police started search operation to trace the missing girl.Alive to the gravity of the incident, Dehradun SSP Jyoti formed several teams headed by SP City. Sealing the area, police plunged into combing operation. Initially, police were under the impression that the girl might have been kidnapped for ransom. locals were grilled.

Finally, police took the accused Abu Hasan for questioning. Suspicion grew as he was learnt to be in the same house late night on Tuesday. later, he broke down and confessed the crime, police informed.Based on his information, police recovered the body from amidst the bushes in the vicinity of the locality. Along with local police, senior police officers, homicide investigation squad personnel and forensic investigation team members rushed to the spot and collect evidences. later, police sent the body for postmortem.

Based on preliminary investigation, the girl, though strangulated to death, had sustained injuries on her head. The complaint was converted into FIR and a case under sections 364/302/201 of IPC was registered against Abu Hasan in the Raipur Police Station.