SHAHJAHANPUR: A 30-year-old woman was allegedly killed by a 'tantrik' on the pretext of changing her gender so that she could continue her relationship with another woman in this district, police said on Tuesday.
Superintendent of Police S Anand told PTI that Priya (30), a resident of RC Mission police station area, had befriended Preeti (24), a resident of Puwayan.
Both later entered into a same-sex relationship, the SP said.
Police said Preeti was not able to get married after her relationship with Priya came to light.
The SP said Preeti and her mother Urmila allegedly met Ramnivas, a tantrik (occultist), a resident of Mohammadi area, and hatched a plan to kill Priya.
Anand told that Preeti had informed the tantrik that Priya wanted to become a man. Taking advantage of this, Preeti's mother allegedly promised the tantrik that he would be paid Rs 1.5 lakh to kill Priya.
According to the plan, Preeti called Priya and made her believe that the tantrik would change her gender.
Priya had left her home on April 13 and had since been missing. Her family lodged a missing case on April 18.
The SP said that through surveillance it was found that Priya had talked to Preeti and tantrik Ramnivas.
Based on the input, police took Ramnivas into custody. He confessed to the crime during police interrogation.
He told the police that he had taken Priya to a forest on the pretext of "converting her into a man and asked her to lie down on the bank of a river with her eyes closed". Meanwhile, he slit Priya's neck with a hammer.
SP Anand said the accused tantrik and Priya's friend Preeti were arrested on Tuesday and both were sent to jail.
The police have also recovered from the tantrik's house a hammer that was used in the murder.