On December 30, 2022, a case of kidnapping was registered at Silvassa police station. Photo: police.ddd.gov.in
A nine-year-old boy was abducted and his body chopped into pieces as part of a “human sacrifice” ritual in the Union Territory’s Dadra and Nagar Haveli district, police said on Wednesday.
Police last week arrested two people and detained a teenage boy after the headless body of a boy from a tribal community was found in the Damanganga canal near Vapi town in neighboring Gujarat’s Valsad district. The boy had gone missing from Sayali village in the UT’s Dadra and Nagar Haveli (DNH) district on December 29 last year, following which a case of kidnapping was registered at Silvassa police station on December 30, police said in a release.
A beheaded body matching his description was found in Vapi, located about 30 km from Silvassa, the district headquarters of DNH district, after several teams were roped in to trace the boy, police said.
An official said that while the body was found in a canal in Vapi, parts of the body were found in Sayali village where the rituals were performed. The body parts have been sent for forensic examination, he added.
“Investigation led the police to a juvenile. He disclosed that he had abducted the victim on December 29, 2022, from Sayali village and killed her as a human sacrifice with the help of his accomplice,” the police said.
After taking the juvenile into custody, the police added Indian Penal Code sections 302 (punishment for murder), 201 (causing destruction of evidence), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) to the FIR.
The police have also recovered the weapon used in the incident.
Police said the detained boy revealed that his friend Shailesh Kohkera (28) had helped him in killing the victim.
“He stated that one Ramesh Sanwar was also part of the conspiracy. Sanwar induced Bandi and Shailesh Kohkera to perform a human sacrifice ritual in the hope of obtaining monetary benefits,” the release said.
Subsequently, Kohkera and Sanwar were traced and arrested on 3 January.
Police said the teenager worked as a butcher at a chicken shop in Sayali village. He is a native of Karjan village of Kaprada taluka of Tapi district in Gujarat.
He has been sent to the observation home in Surat and further investigation is underway.
Police said that after the headless body was found in Vapi, a team of 100 policemen was formed to solve the case and they were assigned different tasks.
Teams of police personnel from Daman and Home Guards analyzed CCTV footage and interrogated shopkeepers and industrial workers besides residents of the village to gather clues. Police said mobile call records were analyzed and the village and areas near the canal were searched.
Meanwhile, the BJP Scheduled Tribe (ST) Morcha in the UT has submitted a memorandum to the Superintendent of Police, demanding strict punishment for the accused persons.
”The deceased boy belonged to the tribal Warli community. His family has no enmity with anyone. It has come to know that the innocent child was sacrificed by a criminal and a tantrik. This incident is disgusting and inhuman and a very serious crime.
BJP said, “We demand fair investigation and action by arresting all those involved in the crime. The police should take appropriate and prompt action by all means, so that the accused persons get the harshest punishment.”