India: 7-year-old boy killed in alleged ritual sacrifice
School director and his father were arrested along with three other teachers
Lucknow: Five people were arrested in India for the killing of a seven-year-old boy in an alleged ritual sacrifice aimed at bringing good fortune to a public school, police said Friday.
The victim was found dead in his bed on Sunday night at the hostel where he lived in the city of Hathras, not far from the country's famed Taj Mahal.
Instead of alerting authorities, police said that school director Dinesh Baghel hid the body in the trunk of his car.
Police officer Himanshu Mathur told AFP that the boy was killed before a black magic ceremony conducted by Baghel's father.
"The boy was meant to be taken to an altar as part of a ritual, but got killed before the ceremony could be completed," he said.
Baghel and his father were arrested along with three other teachers at the school, Mathur added.
Mathur did not give further details on how the child had died and local media reports said the body was undergoing a post-mortem examination.
Police said the alleged ringleader had been conducting a religious rite to mark the anniversary of his brother's death.