3 Men Die During Alleged Black Magic Ritual In Chhattisgarh

What began as a shortcut to becoming a millionaire became a death trap straight out of a horror film. The promise of a 50-fold return on Rs 5 lakh lured three men into a deadly ritual that ended in tragedy after they died under mysterious circumstances during an alleged black magic ritual late Wednesday night in Chhattisgarh's Korba district. 

The bodies of scrap dealer Mohammad Ashraf Memon, Suresh Sahu of Tulsi Nagar, and Nitish Kumar of Durg were recovered from a room inside a scrapyard in Barbaspur, under the Urga police station limits. Their ages are believed to be between 40 and 45 years.

Though the incident occurred in the Urga police station area, the Civil Line police have taken over the investigation.

According to the police, the three men had allegedly agreed to participate in a ritual led by Rajendra Kumar, a self-styled tantric from Bilaspur, who claimed he could turn Rs 5 lakh into Rs 2.5 crore through occult practices. 

Rajendra arrived in Korba on Wednesday evening with three associates. Police have so far detained four to five suspects, including the alleged tantric.

Around 11 pm, the ritual began inside the farmhouse belonging to Ashraf Memon in Kudri village. Investigators said the tantric took the three men one by one into a separate room, handed them lemons, drew a circle on the ground with a rope, and locked them inside, telling others the door would be opened after 30 to 60 minutes.

When the room was finally unlocked, all three men were found dead. Panic broke out, and while their companions rushed them to the hospital, doctors declared them brought in dead.

At the scene, police recovered puja items, lemons, ropes, and cash, reinforcing the suspicion of an occult ritual gone wrong.

Korba SP Siddharth Tiwari said the preliminary investigation points toward strangulation, citing injury marks and scratches noticed by the families.

However, Korba CSP Bhushan Ekka, after inspecting the bodies at the hospital, said initial signs indicate poisoning. The exact cause of death will be known only after the post-mortem report.

Police continue to interrogate the detained suspects, and a detailed investigation is underway to determine whether the men were murdered during the ritual or fell victim to poisoning.

Despite the Witchcraft Prevention Act in Chhattisgarh, crimes tied to occult beliefs remain alarmingly frequent. From January 2020 to June 2024, 54 murders linked to superstition were reported in Chhattisgarh. Over 200 incidents of superstition-related violence occur annually, according to state data. As per NCRB 2021, Chhattisgarh recorded the highest number of witchcraft cases (20) in India, followed by Madhya Pradesh (18). Between 2005 and 2017, nearly 1,350 cases related to witchcraft and superstition were registered in the state. The Chhattisgarh Witchcraft Atrocities (Prevention) Act, 2005, provides penalties for promoting or practicing harmful superstitious acts.