Telangana: Boy sacrificed in hunt for treasure

NIZAMABAD: A 9-year-old boy was allegedly sacrificed by treasure hunters at Siddapur thanda in Varni mandal. The body of  Bardal Srikanth, a class IV student, was found on the outskirts of the village on Monday. The boy had gone missing on Friday, prior to full moon day (Pournami), while playing with friends. There were injuries on the hands and stomach of the victim. Angry villagers prevented police from reaching the scene of offence on Monday, demanding the arrest of the culprits. Srikanth’s father Bardal Karan Singh had been searching for the boy since July 7.

Dasharath and Ramdas, relatives of the victim, had reportedly offered `8 lakh to Srikanth’s aunt for a task they wanted done. They had told her that they were looking for  a woman who stood six foot tall, a height she matched, for the treasure  hunt, villagers told police.  The villagers suspected that the two men and the woman had kidnapped and murdered the boy. Varni police sub inspector G.Anjaiah told Deccan Chronicle that they had taken the suspects into custody after assuring villagers that they would face stringent punishment. "We have registered a case of suspicious death case and await the forensic lab report," he said.