#Bizarre: Boy murdered in 'human sacrifice' in Andhra Pradesh

In a bizarre incident, a five-year-old boy was allegedly murdered by a man in a suspected case of human sacrifice as a part of a witchcraft-related ritual in Prakasam district on 30 September.

The incident took place in Pokuru village under the Voletivaripalem mandal, where the accused, Tirumala Rao, was thrashed and set ablaze by locals after the murder came to light, Kandukur Circle Inspector M Lakshman said.

Police, quoting locals, said Rao, a resident of the same village, killed the boy as part of a witchcraft-related ritual.

The accused, said to be in his mid 30s, took the boy from a child care centre to his house, where he performed rituals, cut the boy's head, collected the blood into a vessel and sprinkled it all over his house, the locals added.

The incident came to light when the victim's mother was told at the child care centre that her son had left with Rao.

She then went to Rao's house along with a group of villagers and found it locked. After breaking the lock and entering the house, they found the child's body. Once the villagers found Rao, they tied him to a pole, thrashed him and set him ablaze after pouring kerosene over him, the police said.

The police rushed Rao to a local hospital and then shifted to Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ongole, the district headquarters.

Superintendent of Police C Srikant visited the village to get details of the incident. Inspector Lakshman said a case has been filed and investigations are in progress.

(with inputs from PTI)