Girl Killed By Mother, Stick Inserted Inside Private Parts To 'Cure' Brother

In a chilling case of black magic in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh, a 35-year-old woman has "sacrificed" her teen daughter to "cure" her son, who suffers from some mental and physical sickness.

The woman, Reshmi Devi, murdered her 12-year-old daughter with the help of her lover, Bhim Ram, after a 'tantrik' (an occultist), Shanti Devi, advised her to offer a "sacrifice" as a "cure" for her only son's illness and family problems, Hazaribagh Superintendent of Police Anjani Anjan told reporters on Wednesday.

Reshmi, who often visited Shanti, was told that since a goddess was believed to possess her daughter, sacrificing her would be the "most auspicious" way to treat her son.

She also told the mother that they needed to sacrifice a "virgin girl" to cure the son.

Reshmi agreed, and the girl was sacrificed on March 24, the night of Ashtami, the eighth day of the major Hindu festival Navratri, which celebrates Goddess Durga's victory over evil. 

While Reshmi held her legs, Bhim Ram strangled her.

The 55-year-old 'tantrik' then inserted a wooden stick inside the girl's private parts, and Bhim Ram struck her head to get the blood for the ritual, Anjani Anjan said.

After killing the girl, they buried her body in a garden.

The police began investigation when the girl's body was found the next morning.

During the probe, the three tried to mislead the investigators by claiming rape, which was not proved in the postmortem and forensic report, Anjan said.

All three have now been arrested.

Reshmi Devi and Bhim Ram, 40, were having an affair for about 10 years, Anjan said. Her husband works in Maharashtra and didn't usually visit home, he said.

Bhim Ram, 40, also faces allegations of murdering his sister-in-law and another individual, the police officer said.