A four-year-old girl is feared to have been sacrificed by witch doctors who were trying to locate a neighbour’s missing mobile phone.
The body of little Sunu Godba was found on Monday with her head cut off and hands and legs removed in a jungle near her home.
She has been reported missing on October 24 from a village in upper Assam in northeast India which is infamous for witchcraft practices.
But police are now hunting two witch doctors who were employed by Sunu’s neighbour Hanuman Bhumi to find his daughter’s mobile phone – considered a luxury in the region.
It is suspected they snatched and brutally killed Sunu as part of their ritual that went wrong.
Sunu’s devastated father Susun said:
“I cannot believe my neighbour who was very nice to my daughter and loved her as her own uncle, can kill her for his greed.
“We are devastated with the loss of our daughter. She was an innocent child and did not deserve this painful death. We are distraught.”
Bhumi, 45, lived next door of Susun Godba, 35, in Ratanour village. The two were good friends.
But when Bhumi’s teenage daughter lost a mobile phone, instead of registering a case with the police, the uneducated’ tribal man sought help of two sorcerers in desperation.
Police believe Hanuman had only invited Gabbar Singh and one of his acquaintance and Jalal Uddin to perform a prayer.
But the two sorcerers allegedly decided to sacrifice the little girl to appease their ‘God’
Police inspector Prasanta Phunka said:
“Her father had made a missing complaint with us on October 25th. We were looking for the child everywhere but on November 1st some villagers informed us of finding a headless body in the bushes.
“When we reached the spot, the sight was horrific. The girl’s head was lying next to her body and her legs and hands were strewn. After investigation, it was confirmed that the body of the girl.”
Hanuman and his friend Arif Uddin Ali, who was also present at the prayer, were arrested by the police but the sorcerer managed to flee before the police could nab him.