An 11-year-old student was killed in a sacrificial black magic ritual performed by the owners of his school to make it more “prosperous,” according to reports.
The boy was allegedly kidnapped from a hostel by two teachers and the school’s owner and strangled in a horrifying “tantrik ritual” in Hathras, India, the Hindu reported.
The deceased student named Kritarth was the son of Krishan Kushwaha, a software engineer at a private firm in Delhi.
“The boy was sacrificed as part of a ritual for the school’s supposed success and glory. We are investigating if any other individuals were involved in the murder,” senior police officer Nipun Agarwal told the Times of India.
Five men are being held in custody in connection to the harrowing black magic incident that took place Tuesday.
The public school’s owner, Jasodhan Singh, who is said to believe in the “tantrik rituals,” allegedly asked his son and director of the school, Dinesh Baghel, to sacrifice the child.
Baghel and Jasodhan Singh had previously attempted to sacrifice another boy for the same reason but that plan failed, Agarwal told the Times of India.
Principal Laxman Singh and two teachers, Ramprakash Solanki and Veerpal Singh, were also arrested by police, the outlet said.
Kritarth was allegedly kidnapped from a hostel by Singh, Baghel and Solanki, police reportedly said.
He was brought to a secluded place before Kritarth woke up and “began crying,” according to police.
Veerpal Singh and Laxman Singh were reportedly standing guard.
Kritarth was found unresponsive by a staff member and other students in his hostel bed, according to the Times of India.
Baghel allegedly attempted to cover up the crime by taking the boy’s dead body for a drive, with the accused telling Kritarth’s parents that he was not feeling well and was being taken to a hospital in Baghel’s car, according to police.
Family members of the child, however, stopped the car and informed police about Kritarth’s death, police said.
Tantric rituals are an esoteric yogic Hindu tradition that provide a direct link to the universe and the supernatural for participants, according to experts.
While the tantric rituals take on many forms, such as sexual practices, they are rarely associated with human sacrifice, experts have said.
Another incident of human sacrifice occurred in February 2021 when a well-educated, affluent family sacrificed their two adult daughters in Andra Pradesh, India, due to a blind belief in tantric rituals and reincarnation, Indian Currents reported.
The country reported 103 cases of human sacrifice from 2014 and 2021, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.
