Written by Pathi Venkata Thadhagath
In a horrific incident, a 15-year-old boy from the Koppal town of Karnataka was made to perform ‘Bettalu Seve’, a banned ritual where naked worship is offered to the god, reported The New Indian Express. The victim was forced to perform the ritual after his father failed to repay the loan that he took for construction of the house. Though the incident happened in the month of June, it recently came to the spotlight after the video of the teen went viral. An FIR was also lodged against the accused on Sunday.
According to the report, the accused lent some money to the victim’s father and was given a time frame to pay the loan back. As his father failed to repay the loan, the 15-year-old boy moved to Hubbali in Karnataka and started working as a daily wage labor to help his father to pay back the loan. However, the accused allegedly convinced the boy to perform Bettalu Seve and made him believe that it would solve all the problems of his father. It is reported that the accused made the boy strip and perform the superstitious ritual after taking him to a secret location. The boy later moved to Mangalore and continued to work at a private construction site.
After three months, the parents of the victim learned about the incident through a viral video and filed a complaint at the Koppal (rural) police station. A special police team was formed to investigate the case.
(With inputs from ANI)
