Thirteen Held in Latur District for ‘Money Rain’ Black Magic Ritual
The incident occurred near Karadkhel Pati on the Latur-Udgir road, around 20 km from Udgir, in the early hours of August 16
Latur: Police have exposed an occultist "money rain" ritual in Latur district of Maharashtra by arresting 13 people hailing from various states, an officer said on Monday. Shockingly, the accused were trying to involve a 15-year-old girl to perform the "Laxmi Puja", Udgir Sub-Divisional Police Officer Gajanan Bhatlawande told PTI.
The incident occurred near Karadkhel Pati on the Latur-Udgir road, around 20 km from Udgir, in the early hours of August 16.
According to police, the accused allegedly conspired to conduct a Lakshmi puja as part of a ritual based on the superstition that money could be made to appear through occult practices. During the alleged ritual, an attempt was made to involve a 15-year-old girl.
After receiving information about the suspicious activity, Udgir Rural Police intervened and initiated legal proceedings.
A case has been registered at Udgir Rural Police Station under Section 3(3) of the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013, along with Sections 12 and 18 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Police said the arrested accused are from Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, while two others are on the run.
A court has remanded the accused to police custody till August 21.
An investigation is underway to understand the circumstances under which the minor girl was allegedly brought into or sought to be involved in the ritual, as well as the roles played by the individual accused, police said.
