The killing of the five-year-old boy in an alleged practice of witchcraft in Prakasam district came to light when the boy’s mother, L. Adilakshmi went in search of him after noticing that he had not returned home as usual in the afternoon.
At the anganwadi centre, she was told that the boy had been taken home by Tirumala Rao.
The mother went to Tirumala Rao’s house and asked the man’s brother, Venkata Rao, who opened the door about her son’s whereabouts. Both were shocked to find the boy lying in a pool of blood in a pooja room, Kandukur circle inspector M. Lakshman said.
Enraged villagers tried to lynch the man, who allegedly pleaded that he could bring back the boy to life by performing special rites. Police rescued the man from the mob and shifted him to the government hospital at Kandukur and thence to RIMS.
Superintendent of police Ch. Srikanth said, ''This is a first-of-its-kind incident in Prakasam district.'' He added that the accused had a reputation in the village of keeping ties with practitioners of tantric rituals, and had on Tuesday night made an unsuccessful attempt to abduct an 18-month-old girl.
''Once he recovers, he will be subjected to questioning after an examination of his mental condition by a psychiatrist,'' the SP said.
Questioned by the police, Venkata Rao, the brother of the accused, is said to have revealed that Tirumala Rao had tried to attack him with a sickle in the past, and had parted ways with his wife as she could not put up with his odd behaviour.
Police have registered a case of murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, and shifted the boy's body to the Government Hospital at Kandukur for a post-mortem procedure.
Rationalists were shocked by the incident. “Such things might have happened in these parts during British times but they are uncommon in Independent India though animal sacrifices are often performed to appease villages deities,'' said Rationalists Association of India member Ch. Seshaiah.
Police have registered a case of murder and shifted the boy’s body to the Government Hospital for
post-mortem
