Gir Somnath (Gujarat): In yet another incident of suspected human sacrifice, a family in Dhara Gir Village of Gir Somnath district in Gujarat has been accused of killing their 14-year-old daughter, police said on Thursday. The horrific incident comes close on the heels of the heinous 'human sacrifice' of two women by an allegedly cannibalistic couple in Elanthoor village in Kerala in June and September earlier this year.
While the Kerala human sacrifice case was found to be an act of black magic and cannibalism, the Gujarat sacrifice was stated to be carried out as part of a superstition that the killing would make their family prosperous. After the residents of Dhara Gir village alleged that the family committed human sacrifice of their daughter, the Police and the Forensic Science Laboratory teams swung into action and were collecting evidence in the case. The family was said to have sacrificed their daughter on Navratri's Atham (October 3) in the false belief of deriving financial benefits.
Incidentally, the family members did get the death of their daughter registered with the village panchayat, leading to suspicion that the minor's body would have been cremated in the family's farm at midnight. Gir Somnath District Superintendent of Police Manoharsinh Jadeja told the local media that the parents were the suspects in the mysterious death of the minor. Police collected her ashes from the farm of Bhavesh Akabari on Wednesday. "During questioning, the father Bhavesh is constantly changing his statements. An FSL report can guide police in further investigation," said a police source.
Also read: Kerala Human Sacrifice case; The accused cooked and ate body parts of the victims
The accused family earlier did some business in Surat where the victim girl was studying in Surat till six months ago. The parents moved to their native village later for several reasons and brought their daughter along with them. They kept her on the family farm where she was alleged to have been sacrificed on the night of October 3. The villagers alleged that the family kept the body for four days believing the child would be reborn.
Later, the family cremated the dead body in the presence of very few family members and relatives. As the child was cremated secretively in the farm, it created suspicion among some villagers who informed the police.
In respect of the murky case of Kerala human sacrifices, an occult practitioner and a couple were arrested on the charges of killing two women, cooking their body parts and eating the flesh. The two women were allegedly killed as part of black magic in the Elanthoor village of Pathanamthitta district. The arrested couple was identified as Bhagaval Singh, a ‘traditional healer’ and his wife Laila (59), both natives of Pathanamthitta. Along with them, the alleged occult practitioner named Rasheed alias Muhammand Shafi was also held. Shafi was stated to have been convinced to carry out human sacrifices to ward off evil.
Also Read: Family 'sacrifices' minor daughter in Gujarat
The threesome carried out the first human sacrifice ritual on June 8, police sources said. When it yielded no expected results, Shafi convinced the couple that the evil spell cast on them was so strong that they were unable to gain benefits after the first sacrifice. This then led to the killing of the second woman on September 26, as per sources. The details of the Kerala human sacrifices were so chilling that the accused not only drew blood from their two victims but also sprayed it around the house of the couple. The sorcerer had lured the couple to indulge in such crudity by promising financial benefits.
The couple told the police that Shafi convinced them that they will get better health and longer life after the human sacrifices. Police have also revealed that the two women before being beheaded were exposed to medieval primitivism where sharp objects were inserted into their private parts to collect blood and then the blood was sprayed all over the house with a superstitious belief that this would bring financial prosperity.
