Stepmother Allegedly Poisons, Mutilates 2 Children To Avenge Black Magic Performed By Their Mother

A woman allegedly poisoned her two stepchildren before slitting different parts of their bodies to avenge supposed black magic performed on her by their biological mother.

The incident took place in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, the police said Thursday. Authorities said the woman, identified as Jyoti Prajapati, first mixed poison in the children's food, and then strangled them in separate rooms, before slitting their bodies, NDTV reported.

She then left them in a pool of blood at the scene to go to the market. The incident came to light when the accused's husband Arvind returned home Wednesday and found his children dead.

The police questioned the accused after she returned home from the market. During questioning, Prajapati admitted to killing the children and told the police about the reason behind her actions.

“Jyoti got pregnant two months ago but suffered a miscarriage. Jyoti blamed Arvind’s first wife for performing black magic," senior police officer Aman Singh Rathore said, according to the Hindustan Times. “Later, she slit the throat, wrist, and other body parts of the girl and also the private part of the boy with a vegetable knife."

The police immediately arrested the woman, and charged her with the murder of the two children. The exact charges are yet to be revealed.

In many parts of India, especially in rural areas, several people rely on occultist practices, and even take part in human sacrifice to fulfil their wishes. Black magic is predominant in these areas, where people believe it can alter their fates and cause harm to others.

In August, an 8-year-old girl was mutilated, and her eye gouged out as part of a human sacrifice. The incident took place in a village in Munger, in the Indian state of Bihar. An investigation revealed a local occultist advised a man to sacrifice a girl to prevent his wife’s pregnancy from ending in a miscarriage. Following investigation, the police arrested the local occultist and another person in connection to the case at the time.