The woman indulged in human sacrifice and performed puja to get rid of sarpadosha
Hyderabad:A court in Suryapet district sentenced a 32-year-old woman to death for killing her seven-month-old daughter in a ritualistic human sacrifice. She performed the act while conducting a puja to rid herself of sarpadosha at her house.
Dr Shyamasri, First Additional Sessions Judge of Suryapet, pronounced the death sentence on Bhanotu Bharathi alias Lasya, calling it a “rarest of the rare” case.
The crime occurred in April 2021 at Mekapati Thanda in Kodad mandal and shocked the region. Police launched a detailed investigation after the gruesome nature of the case came to light.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle on Saturday, Munagala sub-inspector B. Praveen Kumar said he responded immediately after receiving an alert from villagers. At the time, he was posted at Mothe police station. He said the accused committed the crime when her husband was away.
The crime came to light when local children playing nearby heard strange noises from the house. Elders were alerted and called the police. On reaching the house, the police found the baby dead with multiple stab wounds, vermillion and turmeric scattered across the room and a blood-stained knife at the scene.
“By the time we arrived, the baby had died from severe stab wounds,” said Praveen Kumar. “We immediately registered a murder case and arrested the woman.”
The police filed a charge sheet within a month, and the trial began soon after. Forensic evidence, including the blood-stained knife and Forensic Science Laboratory’s (FSL) report from Hyderabad, along with eyewitness accounts, helped secure the conviction. Following the murder case, Bharathi also attempted to attack her husband. She was sentenced to one-year imprisonment in that case.
