Jharkhand horror: Mother strangles teenage daughter on tantrik's advice; buries body in garden and claims rape

A 35-year-old woman has been taken into custody in connection with the alleged killing of her teenage daughter during a ritual sacrifice in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh, police said. Two others—an occult practitioner and a male accomplice—have also been arrested in the case, police said.

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The arrests were confirmed late Wednesday night by Hazaribagh Superintendent of Police Anjani Anjan and DIG Anjani Jha during a press briefing. Police identified the accused as the victim’s mother, Reshmi Devi, 55-year-old Shanti Devi, who is believed to be an occultist, and 40-year-old Bhim Ram. All three are residents of the same village.


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Mother kills daughter on tantrik's advice

According to SP Anjani Anjan, Reshmi Devi had been regularly visiting a local ‘tantrik’ for treatment of her youngest son, who is said to be suffering from both mental and physical health issues. "The occult practitioner told the mother that they needed to sacrifice a virgin girl to cure the son of all ailments," SP Anjani Anjan told PTI.

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According to the officer, the incident took place on the night of March 24, during Ashtami, when the village was busy with festive celebrations and witnessing the Mangla Julus, a Ram Navami procession. During this time, the girl was allegedly strangled at Shanti Devi’s house by her own mother along with Bhim Ram.

Police further alleged that the occult practitioner inserted a wooden stick into the girl’s private parts, while Bhim Ram struck her on the head to collect blood for the ritual.

After the killing, the accused reportedly buried the body in a garden. Anjani Anjan said the trio attempted to mislead investigators by claiming the case involved rape; however, this was ruled out by postmortem and forensic findings.

Bhim Ram is also accused in separate cases involving the alleged murder of his sister-in-law and another person, the officer added.

Meanwhile, the Jharkhand High Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of the alleged rape and murder in Bishnugarh, Hazaribagh, and issued notices to the state administration and the Director General of Police.

A division bench comprising Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice Sanjay Prasad acted on the basis of media reports.

Earlier, the girl’s mother had claimed that her daughter was abducted, and her body was discovered in a field on March 25. In response to the incident, the opposition BJP called for a 12-hour bandh in Hazaribagh on Monday in protest.