Northern authorities arrested five people Indiafor the murder of a 7-year-old boy during a sacrificial ceremony intended to “bring good luck to the child’s school,” local police said.
The boy’s body was found on Sunday in the hostel where he was staying in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh state, according to French Agency.
The school principal hid the body in the trunk of his car, police said.
The circumstances are unclear
The 7-year-old boy was murdered before the “black magic” ceremony, he told the AFP constable Himanshu Mathur.
“The boy was supposed to be taken to an altar as part of a ritual, but he was killed before the ceremony could be completed,” he added.
Authorities arrested five people in the case: the father of the 7-year-old child, the school principal and three teachers.
The circumstances under which the child was killed remain unclear at this time, with authorities investigating.
According to Indian authorities, 103 sacrificial ceremonies were recorded in the country between 2014 and 2021.