Five arrested over ritual killing of 7-year-old boy

Indian police have arrested five individuals, including a school director and teachers, in connection with the gruesome killing of a seven-year-old boy in an alleged ritual sacrifice intended to bring good fortune to a public school in Hathras, near the Taj Mahal.

The boy was found dead in his hostel bed on Sunday night. Instead of alerting the authorities, school director Dinesh Baghel hid the child’s body in his car.

According to police officer Himanshu Mathur, the boy was killed before being used in a black magic ritual conducted by Baghel’s father. Baghel, his father, and three teachers have been arrested.

India’s National Crime Records Bureau recorded 103 cases of human sacrifice between 2014 and 2021, with such rituals often carried out in remote areas where belief in witchcraft and the occult is prevalent.