In a disturbing case of human sacrifice, a mother has killed her six-month-old baby as an offering to God to ward off evil spirits. The incident took place in the southern Indian state of Telangana.

The accused, identified by police as B Bharathi, holds a Bachelor of Science degree, and was preparing for a job in the police department. The woman lived in Suryapet district with her partner, who's also the child's father.

On Thursday, she sacrificed her child while her partner Krishna had gone out for work. When Krishna returned home, he and his parents asked Bharathi about the baby. Krishna's parents also lived in the same house but were out on the farm when the incident took place. Later, when they entered the house, the baby was found dead with her throat slit, India Today reported.

Krishna and her family immediately notified the police. Bharathi was arrested after a formal complaint was filed against her. Police said that they were investigating her mental state, said Catch News.

Bharathi had been previously married to a man but they separated after a few days into the wedding. She later got into a relationship with Krishna and lived with him since, despite her family's objection.

Authorities said that Bharathi had recently started watching a lot of spiritual videos on YouTube. An investigation is underway into the horrific crime.

Occult practices are predominant in rural India. In some extreme cases, these practices would include human sacrifice.

In February, a similar incident took place in the southern Indian state of Kerala. A woman killed her 6-year-old son by slitting his throat as a sacrifice to God. Police arrived at the woman's home and found the child lying motionless in a pool of blood in the bathroom. The woman was taken into custody and during questioning, she admitted to killing her son as a "sacrifice to Allah." She was arrested and booked for murder.

crime scene
Representative image Wikimedia Commons
RELATED STORIES