9-year-old killed in human sacrifice ritual in Maharashtra's Nashik; four held

In a case of human sacrifice, a nine-year-old boy was killed and his body was half buried by four people in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, police said on Saturday.

The police have arrested all the accused involved in the crime that took place in Malegaon taluka of the district on July 16, an official said.

The accused allegedly abducted the boy when he was out playing in a field in Pohane Shivar village, he said.

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The accused slit the boy’s throat and half buried his body in the ground, the official said, adding that the body was found on July 18 and a murder case was registered.

The accused, who are residents of the same village, were in search of a hidden treasure and had killed the boy as part of a ritual, the official said.