Grave dug up after black magic rumours

Rumours of miscreants digging up a grave for the skull and bones of an 85-year-old farmer sent the Nelamangala police into a tizzy on Wednesday morning.

Arasaiah, the farmer, had passed away on January 13 due to old age-related ailments.

Police officials along with the family of the deceased rushed to the graveyard adjacent to a lake in Byranahalli village to see if Arasaiah’s dead body was indeed stolen.

However, the police and the son and daughter of Arasaiah, found the dead body intact. Thereafter, the focus of the investigation shifted to villagers involved in rumour mongering.

“Villagers claimed Arasaiah’s body went missing 15 days ago. However, after we dug up the grave and saw it was there, the family is reassured and the grave was closed,” said Kumaraswamy, sub-inspector at the Nelamangala rural police station.

According to the police, on Wednesday morning, a large number of villagers gathered at the graveyard in Byranahalli village near T Begur Lake where it was rumoured that a man’s dead body was missing from his grave.

There was also murmur among the villagers that the stolen bones were used for black magic. Soil was burrowed out at the spot where Arasaiah was buried.

More people gathered as curiosity and interest grew to know if the farmer’s body was still there in the grave or not.

As the news spread, it reached the police as well, who were contacted by Arasaiah’s family.