VELLORE: A six-year-old boy was found dead with multiple injuries at his grandmother’s house in Melpatti village in Vellore on Sunday night, sparking allegations of murder due to human sacrifice on amavasya (new moon day) by his grandmother. The Melpatti police have registered a case of suspicious death.
The deceased was identified as Mugilan R, son of Rajesh and Asha. Police said the couple had been living separately for several years owing to marital discord but reunited two months ago and are currently employed at a factory in Tiruppur.
No material found to link boy’s death to human sacrifice: Cops
As the boy was attending school in Melpatti, he had been staying with his paternal grandmother, Vijaya, at her house on Acharya Street.
According to police, Vijaya allegedly used to assault the child frequently for climbing compound walls and other acts she considered mischievous. Preliminary investigation revealed that on Sunday evening, after returning from a nearby temple, she allegedly found Mugilan climbing a wall and beat him with a coconut frond.
The boy is suspected to have collapsed unconscious following the assault. Police sources said several injuries found on his body appeared to be old and were likely sustained over the past few months.
On receiving information, the Melpatti police recovered the body and sent it to the Gudiyatham District Headquarters Hospital for a postmortem examination.
Meanwhile, some of the boy’s relatives alleged that he had been subjected to human sacrifice and demanded a thorough investigation. They cited the fact that the death occurred on amavasya, which is associated with occult practices in popular belief, and claimed that Vijaya was involved in witchcraft-related practices.
Police sources acknowledged that Vijaya was known locally for engaging in such practices but said the investigation had found no material to suggest that the child’s death was linked to ritual killing or human sacrifice. Further probe is on.