Youth dips hand in hot oil to prove his innocence

 The incident occurred in  Sonia Tanda in Mahbubabad mandal a  few days ago but came to light only on Wednesday. The youth, Gugulotu Lachayya (20), said to have approached Ramulu to borrow Rs 200 for fixing his pump set. But Ramulu was not at home when Lachayya went to his residence at the hamlet, notorious for its superstitious practices.

“To my horror, Ramulu along with a few elders of the village came to our house after two days and started accusing me of stealing two tolas of gold ornaments from his house,” Lachayya said.

The youth was then dragged to the panchayat where the elders asked both Ramulu and Lachayya to deposit Rs 50,000 each and proposed a deadly test for Lachayya.

He was asked to dip his hand in the pot in which the locals boil “Kusuma” oil and retrieve the gold bangle placed at the bottom while the oil was heated.

He would be declared innocent along with the Rs 1,00,000 the two parties had deposited with the panchayat if he remained unharmed or have to lose his share of the deposit to Ramulu as injury to his hand would amount to proof of his guilt.

As his repeated pleas to stop the hazardous experiment fell on deaf ears, Lachayya had to eventually subject himself to the test.

Though he was initially declared innocent and given the money, extensive injury to his right hand which he put inside the hot oil to retrieve the ornament made the panchayat reverse his decision.

A desperate Lachayya finally lodged a complaint against Ramulu at the Mahbubabad police station, on the basis of which Ramulu and nine others were arrested. Lachayya was admitted to a local hospital.