An eight-year-old girl was reportedly murdered as part of a human sacrifice ritual planned by a local mystic in India’s Bihar, Hindustan Times reported.

The victim was a third grade student who went missing on August 4. A day later, her mutilated body was found on the banks of Ganga River.

The police detained four people and charged them with kidnapping and murder under the Indian Penal Code.

RELATED STORIES

Superintendent JJ Reddy told the media that self-proclaimed mystic Parvez Alam had told a local villager, Dilip Kumar Choudhary, that he had to sacrifice a girl so that his pregnant wife would not lose her baby.

Choudhary further informed that Alam had four children and wanted a fifth. Alam had asked him to bring the eye of a 10-year-old boy or girl so he could prepare an amulet.

Choudhary told the police that he was involved in the crime because Alam provoked him.

The other two suspects, Tanvir Alam and Dasrath Kumar, allegedly helped Alam in the crime, the police reported.

Initial police reports suggest that Choudhary, Tanvir and Dasrath had abducted the girl when she was coming back home after delivering lunch to her father, who is a fisherman.

The three men dragged the girl inside a brick kiln, choked her and extracted out her right eye.

Read More: Police arrest teacher for raping, blackmailing woman in Chiniot

The girl’s body also had wounds suspected of rape.

After the forensic examination of the girl’s clothes and pendant, the medical board denied the possibility of rape, informed SP Reddy.

Initially, the police arrested 12 people but all were freed after an inquiry. Alam was arrested from his home after Choudhary confessed to the crime.

The girl’s mother and father, however, stated that the police have “cooked” up a story. They said that their daughter was sexually assaulted before being murdered