Witchcraft practitioner with 30 human skulls held

Hameed Ashraf | NT

Bengaluru: A person, alleged to be a black magic practitioner, was arrested by the police after he was found in possession of 30 human skulls and bones on Monday.

The action was taken after several villagers in Jogaradoddi had reported the matter to the police alleging that a witchcraft practitioner had been terrorizing the residents with his spells and odd rituals.

Based on the complaint, the Bidadi police raided a shed near a grove, which is said to be the place where the accused used to hold strange rituals and pujas.

The cops were shocked to find over 30 human skulls along with other bones along with a burning candle in the makeshift temple. Probing the matter, the police nabbed an accused with the help of a few locals and identified as Balaram.

The villagers had alleged that Balaram had been practicing black magic in his farm house and also in a village burial ground where he would keep skulls and skeletons and chant strange mantras.

It was mentioned that especially on the day of Amavasya (New Moon Day), Balaram allegedly performed puja and scares the villagers.

If they question his dark activities, he would threaten to cast a vicious spell of witchcraft on the villagers.

Eventually, the villagers eventually came out with a plan to nab Balaram while performing Amavasya Puja on Sunday night and handed him over to the police.

Balaram and his brother Ravi have been arrested by the police and a case has been registered at the Bidadi police station, sources said.

The villagers alleged that the accused named Balaram was practicing witchcraft by keeping human skeletons. He used to take skulls and skeletons from the graves of the cemetery and practice witchcraft in his farm house and village graveyard.

Further investigation is underway. Where did the accused get the skulls from? Following the investigation, Ramanagara Superintendent of Police (SP) Karthik Reddy said that the police are currently trying to determine the place from where the accused had procured the human skeletons and bones.

So far, it is suspected that the accused might have unearthed the bones and skulls from the village graveyard in Bidadi.

"The accused used to live alone in the makeshift temple on his farmland adjacent to the Bidadi industrial area, and would never allow anyone inside his land. He had constructed a shed at the corner of his land and converted it into a Kali temple," Karthik Reddy said.

The police found skulls and bones around the Kali portrait with a trident and vermillion, indicating that the accused performed rituals frequently.

The senior official added that a few villagers had noticed the accused offering puja in the midnight by practicing strange rituals and placing skulls and bones around the fire inside the graveyard.

A few days later the matter was brought before the police. The skulls and bones have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis, added the senior official.