MADIKERI: Four people were sentenced to life imprisonment by a local court here, for murdering a woman as part of a black magic ritual. The judgment was passed by the District Sessions Court in Madikeri. Dharani Bolavva, a resident of Boikeri near Madikeri, was sheltering a self-proclaimed sorcerer Kalidasa Swami aka Mohammed Iqbal.
The sorcerer had converted Dharani’s house into a temple, where he practised his black magic. The house was visited by several people, who began to follow Iqbal. On October 11, 2015, Asha, a resident of Ibnivalivada, visited the place for some puja. However, a grand witchcraft ritual was planned at Dharani’s house, in which Iqbal, Dharani and her children, Bhavan and Kavan, took part in a bid to ‘gain power’. It was during this event that Iqbal sacrificed Asha with a trishul, with the supported of Dharani and her children. They were all subsequently arrested.