42-Day-Old Baby's Charred Body Found, 'Child Sacrifice' Link Being Investigated

In a horrific incident in India, a 42-year-old baby girl's charred body was found near her house under mysterious circumstances.

The body was recovered Thursday in the state of Jharkhand. People who live nearby were shocked about the discovery, with many speculating "child sacrifice" as a reason behind the incident. Ranchi police told the media they were probing different angles.

“Local police rushed to the spot after learning about the incident. The body was completely charred and thrown inside a pit in the bush nearby. We are questioning the baby’s mother, Sunita Devi," a senior police officer, identified as Naushad Alam, told the Telegraph India.

The police took the infant's 21-year-old mother, identified as Sunita Devi, into custody after she gave contradictory statements to investigators. Devi initially said she was alone at home with her baby. She claimed she had gone to take a bath and returned to find her child missing.

After a while, she allegedly changed her narrative regarding the incidents on the day the child went missing. However, the police did not specify the changes Devi made in her statements.

According to local sources, the mother of the child likely burnt the baby following a domestic dispute or "sacrificed" her to get a baby boy.

“All aspects will be looked into. But prima facie, it could be because she was under pressure from family for giving birth to two daughters. She has a five year old girl too. Her husband Bhuvneshwar Mahto is a daily wager in Ranchi,” the Telegraph India quoted a police official as saying.

Many people in India still prefer having a boy child instead of girl as they believe the former can support a family while the latter is a liability. Occult practices are predominant in rural India. In some extreme cases, these practices would include human sacrifice among people who believe it would help them fulfil their wishes.

Last year, a mutilated body of a 6-year-old girl was found with several vital organs missing. The incident raised suspicions of a possible occult practice. The girl was playing near her home in a village in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh when she went missing. The family began searching for her when she didn't return home after playing. The next day, her body was found in the bushes with several organs missing.