In a shocking incident, a two-and-half-year old child was allegedly sacrificed brutally by her own father as the latter was told by a 'tantrik' (exorcist) that it would bring 'peace' and 'happiness' in his family.
According to the police sources here, the incident took place at Sikandarpur village in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district, about 500 kilometres from here, on Sunday.
The alleged culprit, identified as Wajid Ali, was arrested by the police and the body of the child was also recovered, sources said.
Police said that Wajid, a father of six children, and his wife used to quarrel a lot. Wajid contacted an exorcist, who suggested to him that he could have peace and happiness in the family if he sacrificed one of his children.
Wajid, who worked as a labourer at a brick kiln, chose his little daughter for the purpose of sacrifice.
On Sunday night, he took his daughter to a nearby field and strangled her to death. He then also axed her body and buried the same in the field.
On Monday, Wajid's wife reached the local police station and told the cops about the incident.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks