A 13-year-old boy lost his right thumb, as a woman sorcerer allegedly burnt his palm with camphor, promising to ward off evil spirits disturbing his mind. P Veerakumar (13), the victim, is the eldest of three children of K Paramasivam and P Malika of South Malayadipatti, a hamlet in Sankarankoil taluk. .
The boy, who had appeared for Class VII annual exam at a school in Tirumalapuram, was unable to attend school this year, as he was at the Tirunelveli hospital for over 20 days. Paramasivam, the boy’s father, said that Veerakumar returned home frightened one day in May, after he entered a burial ground, while playing with his friends. The boy was so scared that he could not sleep at night and said somebody was calling him.
Assuming Veerakumar was possessed by evil spirits, his parents took him to a woman sorcerer in North Malayadipatti. She shut the boy inside a room and started doing black magic.
According to Veerakumar, the woman burnt 3 packets of camphor on the floor and forcibly pressed his right palm on it. “Though I screamed in pain, she continued her black magic for 30 minutes,” said Veerakumar.
As the right hand was severely burnt, he was admitted to the TVMCH. Though the boy underwent surgery, the doctors said that he has to undergo another surgery on Friday. Sources said that the thumb on the right hand of was amputated.