BALANGIR: Balangir police has arrested a quack who is accused of piercing close to two dozen needles in the skull of a 19-year-old girl on the pretext of treating her illness.
Reshma Behera, the victim, was admitted to Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital at Balangir after the matter came to police.
Police sources said, Reshma, daughter of Bishnu Behera, a resident of Ichhagaon under Sindhikela police limits, used to fall sick frequently but no treatment brought any relief. In 2021, as per the complaint, the family sought help of the accused, Tejraj Rana, who also posed as a sorcerer.
At that time, Tejraj injected more than 22 needles in the head of Reshma in the name of treatment. The girl had fainted when the quack applied his ‘treatment’ on her. The family told the police that Tejraj took Reshma into a room for treatment where he carried out his experiment.
However, recently when the girl complained of pain, the family said it came to know of the presence of needles and lodged a complaint with Kantabanji police. Inspector in charge Rashmita Behera said police acted swiftly and nabbed the quack.
The victim was admitted to the medical college for treatment. A scan of the skull revealed the presence of the needles. At least eight needles have been removed so far.
Balangir CDMO Pradip Kumar Guru said Reshma is in stable condition and being provided necessary treatment.
However, it remained unclear how the presence of needles eluded notice for such a long period because foreign elements are likely to cause infections on human body. Police said investigation into the complaint is underway. Meanwhile, Tejraj has been produced before a court.