Nine people have been arrested for the death of a five-year-old girl, who was used for witchcraft in the pursuit of a hidden treasure at Hosalli village in the taluk on Tuesday.
Fourteen people are involved in the case, including a sorcerer who is absconding, P Raja, district Superintendent of Police, said at a press conference.
It is said that one of the accused lured the girl, Gayatri, daughter of hotelier Sharanabasappa, with chocolates, on the night of January 26. A case was registered at Munirabad police station on January 28.
The girl was kept in the house of Mahendra Reddy, a worker in the farm of Shantilal, on the farm premises at Hosalli. Shantilal is a resident of Hosapete in Ballari district.
On the night of February 3, poojas were performed and the blood from Gayatri’s finger was poured as a sacrificial offering during the homa.
This was done to ‘appease’ two dead bodies said to have been buried on both sides of a treasure box, containing Rs eight crore, buried in the ground.
The girl died due to lack of proper food and care. The suspects dumped the body in the toilet of the house of Anita, a neighbour, so as to escape being caught.
The Superintendent of Police said that the exact cause of the girl’s death could be ascertained only after getting the post mortem report.
A car, mobile phone and various articles used for witchcraft have been recovered by the police from the suspects.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Rajeev led the operation to nab the suspects. Circle Inspector Satish Patel of the Rural police station, sub-inspectors Vishwanath and Anjaneya formed part of the team.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks