A 6-month-old infant was drowned Tuesday, allegedly as a human sacrifice to save her grandfather's life. The incident took place in Pattukottai, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The deceased baby's parents were identified as Naseerudhin, 32, and Saliha.

The baby's body was buried after her murder. The incident came to light after someone alerted the authorities about the baby's death, India Today reported.

The child was abducted by Sharmila Begum, the wife of her father's uncle, Asaruddin, who was working abroad and had recently returned to India. Sharmila contacted Muhammed Salim, a Muslim tantric, over Asaruddin's bad health condition and the latter advised her to sacrifice a child without spilling any blood to save the man's life.

Sharmila then allegedly plotted to sacrifice Saliha's baby daughter and kidnapped the child at midnight. The infant was reportedly taken to a fish tank behind the house, where Sharmila drowned her.

Saliha told cops that she protested but Sharmila pressured her into burying the child's body in the backyard. The body was recovered and sent for autopsy.

Cops have arrested the two women and Salim in connection with the murder. All three were booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, Latestly reported.

In September, a man in the Indian state of Maharashtra was arrested for attempting to kill his wife as a human sacrifice for some treasure. The man, identified as Santosh Pimple, got in touch with a local occultist in a bid to get the treasure. The spiritualist performed some rituals at Pimple's home and the latter told his wife that he was going to "sacrifice" her. His wife, identified as Heena, reported him to the cops and they arrested Pimple along with two others, including the occultist, in connection with the incident.

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Representational image. Pixabay
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