A 7-year-old boy is sacrificed during a black magic ritual at an Indian school

A second grade student has been murdered in a dormitory at a school in northern India as part of a black magic ritual believed to bring prosperity and fame to the school.

So far, “five suspects have been arrested and further investigation is underway,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar Singh said in a video statement.

Among those arrested are the school principal, his father and three teachers, police chief Nipun Agarwal told the Indian newspaper. Times of India.

The boy, who attended second grade and lived in the school residence, died last Sunday evening, September 22, from strangulation.

It wasn’t until Monday morning, when he woke up, that his classmates and staff members found the boy unconscious in his bed and decided to notify authorities.

The director tried to cover up the crime by taking the body in his car and driving several miles until the family finally, upon realizing the child was missing, contacted the police.

“We sent the body for autopsy, which revealed that the boy was strangled on Sunday evening,” the chief inspector said.

Police revealed that the five had recently attempted to kill another child, although the attempt was unsuccessful.

Although numbers are declining, in some regions, especially rural or tribal areas, human sacrifices and the practice of black magic to ask for favors continue to occur, as well as lynchings of people accused of practicing black magic or witchcraft.

India’s latest crime report, dating from 2022, lists eight deaths as a result of human sacrifice, and 85 as a result of ‘witchcraft’.