Uttar Pradesh: Youth removes skull fragment from pyre for 'occult ritual' to influence woman unrequited love, held

Hapur, Uttar Pradesh: In a disturbing incident, a teenager's cremation in Hapur took a macabre turn when three men were caught on CCTV removing part of the skull from the burning pyre, police said on Tuesday.

The main accused, who allegedly did this to influence a woman whom he loves through occult practice, has been arrested, police said.

The incident occurred in the Hapur Dehat police station area after the last rites of a 16-year-old student, who had died following a prolonged illness.

The boy, Shubhanshu, a resident of Sotawali locality, had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Meerut.

The family members of the deceased had performed the cremation in the Lodhpur village on Sunday and returned home, only to discover upon revisiting the site that a portion of the skull was missing.

CCTV footage from the premises later showed three men on a moped leaving the spot, prompting a police probe.

Station House Officer Neeraj Kumar said the accused were identified through the footage and taken into custody. "The main accused, Aman, has been arrested and sent to jail," he said.

During questioning, Aman told police that he had approached a tantrik (occultist) due to his unrequited love for a woman, wanting to influence her. Acting on the alleged advice, he removed part of the skull from the pyre and handed it over, the officer said.

Police said the tantrik, identified as Avdhesh Sharma, is being questioned and material, including photographs of around 50 individuals, has been recovered from him.

Officials said further investigation is underway to ascertain the full circumstances behind the incident.