Belagavi: Three residents of Belagavi on Tuesday tried to sacrifice a one-year-old girl child with the belief that they could lay hands on a buried treasure. But the neighbours, who sensed something suspicious going on in the house, rushed into the house and rescued the child. The police said that the trio was planning to sacrifice at least four children for their rituals.
The three accused – brothers Javed Mulla and Faruk Mulla and their mother Masabi Mulla, who are absconding – were staying in a house rented out by Mohammad Peerzade at the thickly populated Bhadkal Galli near Khadebazaar.
Over the last three days, the three had dug a pit that was 6 ft long and 4 ft wide inside their house, with the belief that they could get lay hands on the treasure. Peerzade, who lives close to the house, claimed that he was not aware of the goings on inside the house.
In fact, the one-year-old child that the accused had planned to kill is the third daughter of Peerzade and she was taken away by Mullas on Monday morning. While Peerzade claimed that he was out on work on Monday and never expected his tenants to resort to such acts, it is surprising to know that his tenants could dig a big pit in the house in the last three days and Peerzade did not know about it, the police said.
Sources said that Mullas were planning to offer at least four small children the same day as they were assured of a jackpot by an unidentified religious preacher. But the neighbour and the police came just in time and spoilt their horrific plan.
When the Mullas were getting ready to kill the child, several people in the neighbourhood heard the cries of the child, rushed to the house and found the big pit. Scared by the mob, the three ran away abandoning the child.
Peerzade told the police that the Mullas used to take the child away for a while every day over the last three days and the child returned home crying. “I had some serious doubts over the last one week that Mullas were involved in some mysterious activities, but I did not take it seriously nor did I enter the house,” he said.
Sources said that Mullas strongly believed in many such blind practices and were allegedly encouraging their friends too to indulge in such acts to prosper in life. The police are yet to get more information on the incident and are expected to file a case against the three absconding accused.
Several materials, including a black mask, lemons, coconuts, etc. usually used to perform prayers were recovered from inside Mullas’ house. The police confirmed that they were about to sacrifice the child.
