In an alleged case of human sacrifice, a man reportedly murdered his 13-year-old daughter and ‘staged’ a scene of sexual assault in Tamil Nadu’s Pudukkottai district. The father of three girls was reportedly following the advice of a woman practising ‘black magic’ in order to gain ‘wealth, prosperity and magical powers’.
The girl was found abandoned with strangulation marks in a eucalyptus forest at Nodiyur village in Gandharvakottai, Pudukkottai. On May 19, the girl died at the Thanjavur Government Hospital.
According to Pudukkottai Superintendent of Police Arun Sakthikumar, Panneer, the father of the girl, was under severe financial stress. Panneer, along with his friend Kumar, decided to meet Vasanthi, a woman practising ‘black magic’, to seek advice. Vasanthi reportedly advised Panneer to murder his daughter in order to solve his financial problems.
Vasanthi allegedly promised them that the family would beget 'wealth and magical powers'.
“Believing this, a day prior to the the human sacrifice, Panneer and Panneer’s wife Mookayi, along with Vasanthi and Kumar, performed a pooja 300 metres away from the scene of the murder using a saree. They buried the saree after the ritual. The following morning, Panneer told two of his daughters to fetch water. The 13-year-old ran to the water source first. Panneer, who was waiting there, took his 13-year-old daughter to the eucalyptus farm saying that he wanted to tell her something.”
Once the father and daughter passed by the spot where Panneer had performed the pooja, Mookayi and Kumar were reportedly waiting.
“As the minor girl started raising a cry, Panneer took the shawl the girl was wearing and strangled her while Mookayi and Kumar were holding the hands and legs of the girl. When the girl stopped shaking her legs, Panneer thought she was dead and sent Mookayi and Kumar home. To hide the murder, Panneer removed the underwear of the girl and buried her shawl near the saree,” said the SP.
However, the girl was reportedly found in an unconscious state by relatives near the farm. The police had earlier told TNM that the parents had ‘searched’ for the missing girl.
The SP said, “We had suspicions on Kumar since he was absconding. However, on Monday, he surrendered before the police. On investigating, we found that he was one of the persons involved in the crime. Mookayi died a natural death on May 30 and we are waiting for her autopsy report. We are also searching for Vasanthi and her friend.”
According to the police, Kumar confessed that they had murdered the girl as part of a ‘human sacrifice’ ritual. (Confessions to the police are not, however, enough for conviction).
Cases have been registered under Section 12 (sexual harassment) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code.