Man Saves Grandson From Being Sacrificed During Occultist Ritual

A grandfather rescued a 16-year-old boy from four "tantriks," who were about to allegedly "sacrifice" him in the Pilkhna town of Aligarh district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh Tuesday night.

The boy was reportedly tied to a tree as the four men around him chanted mantras. The "tantriks" (occultists) also stuffed a cloth in the boy's mouth.

A big knife and ritual stuff were found near the boy's location. Upon seeing all of these, the grandfather immediately screamed for help, which led to the four men fleeing the area, according to Tribune India.

Police said the unidentified men left behind the knife and other ritual materials. Some turmeric powder, red thread and vermilion were also recovered from the scene, said the boy's uncle Kalicharan.

A first information report (FIR) was filed, following which a manhunt was on to catch the four accused.

The boy's grandfather, Dhani Ram, said, "It seemed they were about to kill the boy."

Police sources said the so-called "tantriks" (occultists) took the boy, identified as Akhilesh Kumar, hostage when he came out of his house at around 9 a.m. on Tuesday to run some errands.

Akhilesh told the Times of India (TOI) that he was first made unconscious before putting on the ritual as a sacrifice. Akhilesh works at a private company in Delhi. He returned to his home a few days ago for a holiday.

After receiving information, local police officers, including the deputy superintendent of police Barla Abhay Kumar Pandey, reached the spot and launched a probe into the matter.

Barla DSP Abhay Kumar Pandey also told TOI, " A case under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement) of the IPC has been registered after a police complaint into the matter. Probe is on in the matter, and action will be taken accordingly."