SEVEN PERSONS, including the husband and in-laws of a woman, were booked for allegedly forced her to consume human bone powder as part of a ritual during a ritual conducted because she was failing to give birth to a child. The 28-year-old victim filed a first information report (FIR) in this case with the Sinhagad road police station on Wednesday.
Based on her complaint, police booked the seven accused under Sections 498 (a), 323, 504, 506/2, 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013.
Police said the complainant is a computer engineer. She got married in April 2019. Since then, the accused allegedly harassed her physically and mentally and demanded money and other things from her father. Due to financial losses during the Covid-19 pandemic and because the complainant was not giving birth to a child, the accused allegedly performed some rituals on every “amavasya”.
According to the complaint, during such a ritual in February 2011, the accused performed a pooja at a relative’s place for which they allegedly brought some human bones and other items. They crushed the bones to a powder and asked the woman to consume it. When she refused, one of them allegedly pointed a revolver at her forcing her to consume the substance. The woman alleged that such incidents took place several more times.
According to the FIR, the accused forced her out of their house in May 2022.
The complainant had lodged a complaint in this matter at the state commission for women. Then, she approached the police and lodged an FIR.
